Familial Bonds and How To Break Them
by I-Dont-Like-I-Obsess
Summary: Hina has worked with Aizawa at UA for several years, and despite this, they were still nothing more than acquaintances. She hopes to be his friend at the very least, no matter how long it might take. Her villainous brother unexpectedly escaping from prison was certainly not helping the matter, but maybe good things do come to those who suffer after all. Aizawa x OC. Slow burn.
1. Chapter 1

A/N- I've only recently started watching My Hero Academia, but I've quickly fallen in love with the characters, and as always when I start something new, I obsess about it _hard._ And thus, I've started a fanfic for it. My first foray into BNHA, so please let me know if everyone is in-character and how if you are enjoying the story as I go along. Thanks!

Onwards!

* * *

The students of class 1-A shuffled quickly to their seats as the bell rang, announcing that their school day would resume after finishing their lunch period. Bellies full and slightly sleepy now that they'd eaten, none looked too thrilled to be here. Of course, Hina was sure the title of the class itself wasn't helping their boredom any either.

Unexpectedly trumping the school's bell system was the loud and persistent voice of the students' class representative standing just inside the class's doors, booming overhead to be hear by everyone. He stood stock straight, demanding everyone's attention.

"Class has begun! All of you take your seats immediately!"

The red-headed teacher smiled patiently from behind her podium as he received a lackluster response from his fellow students, before rushing over to his own seat to join the others. He didn't seem to realize that he himself was actually the last to be seated, and that most students had already been waiting patiently for class to begin in their desks.

Once the majority of them had organized themselves properly, Hina took a quick moment to extend her quirk. Very few of the students thought that they would enjoy the subject matter of this course, though a few were interested with what she had to say, or in Midoriya's particular case, who exactly she was and what quirk she had. Figuring that was enough probing for now, she pulled back her quirk range and straightened.

She cleared her throat and gave them a sweet smile, her head tilted to the side pleasantly. "Welcome, all of you. I'm very glad to have you here in my class. I've heard many great things about you, and I'm excited to see you grow to your full potential. My name is Hitagawa Hina, and I'll be teaching you the fundamentals of life as an adult."

Immediately, a spiky-haired blond boy towards the side of the front row scoffed with a dramatic eye roll, crossing his arms defiantly. "Tch, this is a waste of time! We'd be better off training in the gym or practicing our quirks right now with Aizawa Sensei"

Iida stood angrily. "Bakugo! Take back your disrespectful words and apologize! Hitagawa Sensei is here to pass along her invaluable knowledge of the world onto us naive and still-learning students!"

The angry boy turned in his seat and scowled. "Shut up!"

Iida's outrage grew. "You shouldn't-!"

"Iida, please take your seat." Hina said evenly, smile still fixed in place. She didn't seem that upset by her student's words. "I'm happy to address Bakugo's concerns."

Still somewhat put off by Bakugo's careless dismissal of her class, he reluctantly sat back down in his seat, his expression tense. "H-hai."

Hina didn't blame them for not having good first impressions of her class. Her own appearance didn't lend any interest. Her long, red hair was something slightly unique, but her hero outfit was too simple to really be impressive in any aspect. A breathable bodysuit of silver marked with patches of red to accentuate her curves, coupled with a utility belt of gold around her waist, more for functionality rather than looks as it held many useful items. The narrow neck line dipped low, but not low enough to be scandalous or anything remotely close to the sensual nature of Midnight's costume. Slender black boots completed the outfit, light enough to remain nimble but with traction-oriented soles. Again, function over fashion.

She swept her gaze across the diverse faces of class 1-A, before her eyes landed on Bakugo, who appeared annoyed that she'd singled him out, despite having caused an outburst himself. The other students seemed rather exasperated with his behavior, but some, like Kirishima or Kaminari, clearly held a silent agreement with Bakugo's statement.

Her easy smile remained in place. "Bakugo, I hear that you plan on being the greatest hero. Tell me, how do you expect to accomplish that without any knowledge on how to lease an apartment? Or how to file your taxes on the compensation you receive for your hero duties? Surely someone that the entire country looks up to would need a place to live and clearly understand the government he worked for. Or perhaps you feel you don't need to know the delicate social tightrope that is the expectations of a pro-?"

"Alright, alright!" Bakugo interrupted with a pissed-off expression, his cheeks beginning to tint a little red from his slight embarrassment at her pointing out things he didn't know. He huffed, waving his hands to get her to stop talking. "You made your point."

"I'm glad you understand what I'm saying." She smiled again, eyes closing for a brief moment. Then, she turned her attention back to the class. "As I'm sure you all may have realized, this class may not be the most interesting of your school work. However, it is certainly very important to ensure your future success as a hero. Knowing how to use your quirk to fight villains will only get you so far. I'll be teaching you everything in between that will help you be successful in all aspects of life."

Hina held up one finger. "After all, you can't be a good hero without first being a good citizen!"

She allowed her quirk to expand to the students in the room, her mind reaching out to gently touch their minds. Hina beamed, pleased to find that the general reception of what she was saying was much more positive and accepting than it had previously been. They were beginning to understand the point of the class. She turned to the board and grabbed one of the chalks, beginning to write.

"Most of the course work will consist of written reports or in-class work. I may assign you some projects that require you to participate in a community activity or other similar function." Her smile grew a little wider at the obvious groan around the room behind her, but she pointedly ignored it, continuing to write. "Not only that, but others will require you to speak with citizens in certain professions or participate in simulated exercises with me on a one-on-one basis. Mock interviews, oral reports, etc."

A second collective groan could be heard in the room, and she chuckled. "Growing up isn't always fun, I know. My goal is to make it a little less foreboding than it otherwise would be. Now, are there any questions?"

As expected, Midoriya's hand immediately shot up, and he looked ready to burst at the seams if he didn't get to ask what was on his mind. "Hitagawa Sensei, what kind of quirk do you have? You're a pro hero, aren't you? I haven't ever heard your name before."

"I am." She confirmed with a nod. "Though I tend to prefer staying out of the media's attention for various reasons, which may account for the fact that I am not well known. As for my quirk? They refer to it as the Mind Jack, which means it's roughly the same as being telepathic-"

_"-but the name makes it sound worse than it actually is."_

The students jumped in surprise, having heard her speak though her lips hadn't moved. Her smile returned in full strength, and she clasped her hands together behind her back. "Please don't panic. My quirk gives me the ability to read minds and project my thoughts onto others. It serves as an excellent teaching tool. And although limited, it can serve to help me in combat to know what my opponent might be thinking."

"That's awesome!" Ashido exclaimed with clenched fists, face alight with wonder. "You just sent your thoughts to all of our minds, right?"

Hina nodded, though her attention was dragged over to Tokoyami, who appeared slightly distressed by what had just occurred.

"So, our minds are not safe at any point with you around?" He questioned thoughtfully, hand stroking his chin, but she quickly shook her head, eyes wide.

"N-no, nothing like that! I do not intrude on your memories or inner feelings carelessly. I would request explicit permission from you first if a lesson ever required such a thing."

She pointed to her own head, tapping her temple. "My thought projection activates on the most superficial level of your mind, meaning that nothing important is relayed back to me when I am sending a direct message. What's more, should I wish to _read_ your mind, it only goes one small step further and allows me to see your _current_ thoughts. Unless you're actively thinking about something in particular, I wouldn't be able to know it without pushing further into your subconscious, which requires much more effort and I would not attempt unless given permission, as I said before."

Her explanation seemed to ease some of the tension that had risen after her claim of being a telepath, and she internally let out a breath of relief. The last thing she wanted was her students not feeling like they could trust her.

Amused, she spotted Midoriya scribbling furiously at his notebook, head bent low and mumbling quietly to himself. Ah, yes. All Might had informed her of his habit of rambling off his thoughts like that. She hadn't expected it to be so...intense, though. Hopefully he could keep it to a minimum to focus on his class work.

"I am glad I could clear up that concern. And please let me know if you have any further worries, as I am open to discussion. Now, are there any other questions?" She questioned, hoping to get back on track to her first assignment.

Every student shot their hand up, eager to inquire about her quirk. This was going to be a _long_ class.

* * *

"Aizawa, your class this year is rather...interesting." Hina said with a grin, pouring herself a cup of tea as the man in question entered the teacher's lounge from behind her.

He didn't return her smile, and simply hummed, going over to the pot himself to partake in a drink of his own. She sat herself on the couch with her beverage in hand, leaning back with a sigh. She took a sip of the tea and shook her head.

"They're all quite the rowdy bunch. Bakugo in particular." She mused aloud. "Oh, and that Mineta. He seems too preoccupied with the fact that I'm a woman to really listen to what I'm saying during the class. I hope he learns to pay better attention."

"We'll see if they all even last the entire school year." He said bluntly, his back to her as he prepared his tea. Hina smiled, pulling her long red hair over one shoulder so it wouldn't bother her neck.

"They're certain to cause trouble, but they deserve a chance. I mean, all of them made it past the first class with you. Not a single one expelled! How unusual. You must have seen something in them that was worth keeping them around, yeah?"

Aizawa set the pot back down on its stand. His finished cup of tea in hand, he took the couch across from her, pinning her with a half-lidded gaze. "I saw potential, nothing more. Whether they take the initiative to do something with it is up to them."

"Oh, don't be so hard-nosed about it. Admit it! You actually like this class." She pressed, her smile widening.

His tired expression turned bland, and he didn't bother to answer, choosing instead to sip silently at his tea.

"Fine, fine! I'll leave you be." She laughed. Hina dropped the conversation there, knowing that saying anything about it further would simply annoy him and possibly cause him to leave. He spared her another moment of his attention, before turning to the window, watching Vlad King perform the quirk apprehension test on Class 1-B in the open P.E. grounds below.

_We've worked with each other for three years now and still he's so closed off_, she thought to herself, picking up the book she'd brought with her for her break and opening it to the last page she'd left off from. She idly sipped at her tea, only half paying attention to what she was reading as she regarded the quiet man across from her.

Aizawa was a very unique man, Hina thought. On the outside, he didn't seem to care all that much for his job or his students, but being around him this long had taught her that he was one of the most dedicated teachers employed by UA. He was rough and did not go easy on those he taught, but in the long run, the students were better off that way.

Hina was very close to all of the other staff of UA. Midnight and Present Mic were particularly friendly with her, though she still enjoyed having conversations with Cementoss and Vlad King when they happened to be in the teacher's lounge at the same time as her. Ectoplasm was actually very fun despite his intimidating unsettling appearance, and Snipe was always interesting to talk to. All Might was a new addition to their ranks, but she'd found a fast friend with him when he'd introduced himself to the staff.

Aizawa on the other hand...well, he was a bit more difficult to get close to, preferring to keep to himself and not speak about his personal affairs to others. Had she not known any better, she would have assumed he lived and breathed UA, never going home or even partaking in things other than teaching. Even Present Mic, who'd known him for years, had a hard time getting him to open up all that much, and he never spoke about hobbies either.

Hina wanted to be close to all of her coworkers, to understand them and support them, but she had no clue where to even begin with the Erasure hero. He was aloof, distant, and often left the impression that he'd rather be doing anything other than talk to you if your topic of discussion didn't interest him. Not exactly the makings of an easy friendship.

She wouldn't be dissuaded by his unapproachable personality, however, thinking that she'd make friends of Eraserhead no matter how long it took. They were polite to each other and had a decent working relationship, but she wanted something a little more personal, craving that human connection of a strong friendship from the him. If someone were to ask her why, Hina didn't she'd be able to answer, either. It was just something she wanted to do.

She just how to figure out how to _do_ that first.

* * *

A/N-This chapter doesn't give all that much detail, but serves more as an introduction to the OC, Hina. Please let me know what you think of her so far, and let me know if there is anything you'd like to see me include, or if this is worth continuing. Thanks so much!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N- I hope the first chapter was an adequate set up for the story! Please enjoy the second chapter as well. Let me know what you think of Hina so far!

For reference: Thoughts in _Italics_ are Hina's own internal thoughts. _"Italics"_ with quotations are her projections into someone else's mind, and **_"Bolded_****_"_** words are the internal thoughts of those she's reading the minds of. This will remain consistent throughout the story.

Onwards!

* * *

Hina clasped her hands together happily, smiling eagerly at the students. "Welcome, class. I hope you had a good lunch, because we are getting straight into the lesson. Our first assignment for today is actually a test."

All of them despaired at once, and Hina was just barely able to suppress the laugh that threatened to burst from her lips. Ah, yes. Another of those hilarious groans that echoed throughout the room. She so loved hearing them.

"Test? But we haven't learned anything yet!" Kaminari exclaimed in agony, slumping in his seat.

Ashido sighed, her head held in her hand. "I'm definitely gonna fail for sure..."

Their sentiment echoed around to the other students, but some still remained composed. Asui, one of the more composed students of the class, tilted her head thoughtfully.

"Actually, most of our classes seem to begin first with an exam of some sort, like the quirk apprehension test with Aizawa Sensei. It seems almost like a tradition with UA." She mused aloud in her croak-like voice, and Hina pointed at her excitedly.

"Exactly!" The rest of the class brought their attention back up to the teacher. "I won't be applying this test towards your grade, of course, as I in no way expect any of you to pass it with a reasonably high score. It will simply tell me where you all currently stand and what areas of the curriculum we need to focus on more heavily."

Momo smiled, latching on to the idea now. "It will also show us how much we've improved since the beginning of the school year. It'll be interesting to see how much we all advance in our studies!"

"Correct. So," she grabbed a stack of papers from her desk and handed them to Aoyama who was seated in the front corner desk closest to her, "please pass these along to your neighbor until you all have one. You may begin the test when you receive it. Please turn your paper over when you are finished and wait quietly at your desk."

The redhead sat down behind her desk and started writing in her curriculum journal, updating some things that she wanted to add into the work load further down the line. The class did have potential, both in their quirks and as good people overall. Still, some definitely needed some help to get to the image of a model citizen that most heroes needed to be in order to be accepted by the public, but they had all semester to get there.

They all began silently looking over the questions, some with expressions of utter confusion, and some with intense concentration. She tried to keep her amused smile to a bare minimum. It wouldn't do to show them that she was entertained by their panic.

Ten minutes went by before she decided that it was time to see how the students were doing so far. Glancing up from her paper, Hina began flitting from mind to mind, allowing herself to linger in their heads for a moment before going on to the next one.

Most were pondering questions to themselves as one would normally do, and she didn't spend much time lingering there. They were working and she didn't want to accidentally disrupt them from doing so. Aoyama and Shoji both seemed unconcerned with the questions, taking what she'd said at face value and trusting that they wouldn't be penalized for getting things incorrect. Good, she was glad to see not everyone was stressing out about something that held very little meaning in the long run.

Iida was furiously writing away at one answer, determined to at least reach a 50% score to prove that he was a good choice to be class representative after all. Behind him, Uraraka seemed to be having some trouble with the financial questions in particular.

_**"What's the difference between gross income and net income? Are there two different kinds? I haven't heard of either one before! Damn, I should know this if I have any hope of helping mom and dad..."** _

Hina smiled to herself, moving on to the next person. Koda in particular looked very nervous, taking his test very carefully and slowly. From what she'd been witnessing so far, he was taking the longest to get through his questions. She delved into his mind a moment...

_**"-don't want them to think I'm stupid, but I don't know any of these answers. I'll never make friends if they think I can't do basic stuff like this. I bet most of them know all these answers already...if they see my score is zero or something really low, what will they think of me? I already feel like I don't belong in this class..."** _

Hina, feeling a spark of sympathy, reached out to reassure him.

_"Koda, I will be keeping the test scores until the end of the semester to compare to your final test. None of the other students will see what you get on it, so don't worry about what they might think. Just try your hardest, but remember, this doesn't serve to prove how little you know, but to show you that there is a whole lot to being an adult and just how important it is to know the material by the end of the semester. Besides, I will not think anything less of you even if you score zero correctly."_

Koda looked up at her with a wide-eyed expression from his test, and she gave him a caring smile, which he sheepishly returned, before swallowing and going back to his test with a much less self-depricating mindset. Satisfied that he wasn't stressing so much over something this small, she moved on.

She suddenly had the thought that her teaching style was probably very different to those of the other teachers in UA. Aizawa was a tough instructor, and Midnight had a sadistic side that she liked to show every once in awhile in her assignments. In comparison to them, she was probably much more laid back. Perhaps she should be a bit more unforgiving, but it was their first week of the class, and they already had a lot on their plates. She could torment them at a later date but for now she'd allow them to take it relatively easy.

Ignoring the endlessly droning monologue in Bakugo's head about how he didn't care about anything on this test and that he'd rather be training his quirk to be stronger, she settled on Mineta's inner thoughts, which were really very simplistic...

**_"-could be a D or bigger cup. No, no, perhaps even a DD by the looks of it. What sort of material is her costume? Does it allow them to bounce when she runs? Do they jiggle when she laughs? Hmm... how squishy do they feel in comparison to Midnight or Mt. Lady? Does she match her bra to her-?"_ **

_"Please stay on task, Mineta."_

The short young man nearly jumped out of his seat when he heard her words through his head, and his gaze looked up at her fearfully. She regarded him with a raised brow and a pointed look at his unfinished test on his desk.

**_"H-hai! Gomen-ne!"_ **

She sighed to herself, deciding that that was enough perusing for now, and went back to her own book to wait for everyone to finish their tests.

* * *

Hina gathered the papers together and set the completed stack on her desk, then turned back to the students. They all looked a little worn out from having to answer so many questions. Well, too bad she wasn't quite done with them yet. "Now, we have one final assignment for the day. I'd like you all to submit a goals sheet."

Surprisingly, she didn't hear a discontented groan this time around."What sort of goals?" Sato asked with a frown.

Her hands spread apart. "There are several different types it will ask you about. One for your own individual growth, one for your desired end-result as a pro hero, and so on. It will ask you where you see yourself in five years, or ten years, and what active steps you plan to take to get you there."

She turned and grabbed the second stack of papers from her desk, once more passing them to Aoyama to hand out. "This one will probably take you a bit more time to think about and fill in, so please feel free to take them home and turn them in to me tomorrow in class."

"If we know what are goals are, can we just turn them in now?" Jiro asked with a raised hand, and Hina nodded.

"Mhmm, if you've given your goals a lot of thought and know what it is you want from your future, then go ahead and turn them in. Otherwise, please take your time to think about the answers. I look forward to seeing what you all desire to be!" She exclaimed with a smile, clasping her hands behind her back.

* * *

_Maybe I shouldn't have made these tests so long..._

Hina's eyes scanned one of Class 1-B's tests, idly marking answers wrong as she went along. So far, most of the students had done as she'd expected. The highest score she'd come across, which was Momo's from Class 1-A, had scored a whopping 61% correct. She smiled, wondering how they would take it to hear that the highest score given could barely count as a passing grade. It would certainly give them a shock.

Realizing that she was trailing off in thought, she shook her head and went back to her grading. Each test had 100 questions, and she hadn't even thought about the amount of time grading them would take, especially considering she had 6 full classes of students to get through.

She idly glanced at the clock, shocked that it was already 8 pm. One glance out the door made her realize that the hallway outside was dark. The school was quiet, save for the steady tick of the clock on the wall. All of the other staff must have gone home long ago, and she hadn't even noticed until now. Huh.

Hina looked at the pile she had left, counting at least 20 tests that still needed grading, and she sighed, resigning herself to another hour or so of grinding through the paperwork before she'd allow herself to go home. It would be better to get it all out of the way now, rather than put it off for tomorrow.

But damn, was she tired...

Footsteps from the out in the hallway didn't even register in her mind as she flipped the page of the test to continue checking to see if the student's answers were correct. They slowed to a stop outside her door, and she nearly jumped in place when the door slid open with a hiss.

"You're still here?" Aizawa asked evenly, curiosity showing in his eyes. "You realize it's nearly 10, don't you?"

"A-ah..." She picked up the paper she was grading and smiled timidly. "I've still got some grading to do. I should finish soon, though."

He nodded and crossed his arms, leaning against her door frame. "Why not put them off until tomorrow? You look like you need a rest."

She grinned, leaning her head on her hand. "You're one to talk about needing some sleep." His curiosity turned into his signature, stale stare, and she laughed to herself at his reaction. He seemed so easy to tease, but he rarely ever took the bait. One day, she'd get him to respond somehow.

"Are you leaving for your patrol?" She switched subjects, realizing that he was here this late as well. He must have been finishing up on his teacher duties too. And if he stuck around this late, that normally meant he would patrol afterwards rather than head home.

He nodded. "I was just leaving when I saw your classroom light on."

She gave him a tired smile. "I see. I'll head home myself soon once I've finished grading. Good luck on your patrol. Stay safe, please."

Aizawa hummed away her concern, standing there another moment as if he had something more to say, then straightened from the wall and headed off down the hallway, closing her door behind him as he went. His footsteps grew quiet until she could no longer hear them at all.

_Such a stale conversation..._ Hina deflated a little, disappointed that their talks with him always remained so superficial, nearly bordering on awkward at times. Would it kill the man to allow more people to be his friend? Honestly, she had no idea how Present Mic had managed it to begin with. Those two were closer than most teachers were, having attended UA together years ago. Seeing them in the same room together was almost surreal, due to the contrasting nature of their personalities.

Maybe she could ask Hizashi how best to approach Aizawa so as to further their friendship. He would surely have some pointers. Or maybe he'd just use the opportunity to further tease her with Midnight. They were the gossip kings of the school staff. Perhaps it would be better to figure it out for herself, not that she thought about it. No need to throw water onto that grease fire and start some unpleasant rumors about them.

There she went, getting distracted again. At this rate, she'd never get these papers done. After several more pages, she finished up Tetsutetsu's paper and stuck it on top of the large pile of graded tests. She automatically reached over to grab another ungraded paper and started on it next.

This time when footsteps began approaching from the hallway again, Hina heard them, and looked up as her door opened once more. Aizawa approached her desk and sat a cup of coffee on the corner, before turning to leave.

"Figured you'd need it." He said quickly.

"Ah, thank you, Aiza-"

The door closed before she could finish the sentiment, and she smiled softly to herself. She reached for the cup, blew on the top to cool it down a bit, before taking a timid sip.

Plenty of milk and sugar, making it less coffee and more like a dessert. Just how she liked it. She idly wondered how he knew exactly how she liked her coffee. Hmm.

Taking another sip to try jumpstarting her energy, she set the cup down again and focused on the papers, a newfound determination to get everything done washing over her.

* * *

A/N- So, the second chapter is done! Does the story seem interesting? Please let me know what you think in a review!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N- I'm planning this story to be about 40 or so chapters, according to the current outline I have written. You never know, I may feel inspired to add certain chapters if I feel the story is missing something. Again, I hope you enjoy!

**PippinSqueaks-** I'm glad you're already liking it! Aizawa is tough to write for, so I hope I'm keeping him in character. Actually, now that I think about it, Present Mic might be the toughest, haha. :)

**Leoki-** I just recently got into it! I've been meaning to watch it for some time but just never got around to taking the time to do it until now.

Onwards!

* * *

The Life Skills teacher was exceptionally grateful when lunchtime finally came around, and headed for the break room quickly, looking forward to the idea of taking a nap on the couch for the entirety of her lunch. With no students in the hallways, as they were all currently in the cafeteria having their own food, she trudged her way towards the teacher's lounge, hoping no one else was in there at the moment.

The long hours spent grading papers the night before had sorely affected her sleep once she actually got home, leaving her groggy and less-than-pleased to be back at work early the next morning. She had never really been a morning person, but she tried her best to hide it from her students, as she didn't want to concern them with her sleep schedule.

"Hina! Yo!" Present Mic exclaimed when the redhead entered the teacher's lounge, striking a dramatic and energetic pose as he stood from his spot on the couch. His orange sunglasses glinted off the light from the window. "You arrived at a perfect time. We were just discussing the first year students!"

A little disappointed that she wouldn't get the chance to sleep for 20 minutes at the very least, Hina perked up her expression so as not to be rude. She quirked an amused smile, also spotting Toshinori on the couch across from Hizashi, turning his head to regard her. "Oh? What about them?" She asked, figuring she may as well make herself a cup of tea while she was there. She was rather thirsty, now that she thought about it.

"Present Mic was saying that he thought Todoroki was a good contender for winning the sports festival, even though it's still a ways away." Toshinori explained, wincing at his fellow compatriot's loud volume.

"That Todoroki is definitely one of the top students when it comes to straight power! But...well,I guess there are so many high-potential heroes in the making for sure!" Hizashi continued, finally sitting back in his seat, hands and arms moving rapidly with every sentence. "Even the students not in the hero course seem like great candidates to shine and possibly transfer over, if Eraser ends up expelling one of the hero students after all. So cool!"

"Well, if he hasn't expelled any of them by now, I doubt he will. I think deep down he likes the class he has this year." She mused aloud, setting out a small cup to pour her tea into.

"Quite an unusual thing, yes. But, Eraser's secretly very caring, you know." He mused, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "Anyway, which student do you have an eye on? Any that just scream 'Plus Ultra' to you?"

"Hmm..." She hummed, walking over and taking her seat beside Toshinori. "It's hard to say. I meet with so many students every day, it's hard for me to gauge any one of them over the others."

"Oh, come on! You've got to have a favorite or two!" Hizashi pressed expectantly, leaning forward in his seat.

"Well..." Hina didn't like playing favorite when it came to students and actively tried her best to treat them all equally, but...some she did prefer the company of more than others. "Of class 1-A, Asui are Shoji are very mild mannered and work very hard. I think if they can utilize their quirks in creative ways and prove their ingenuity, they will rise very far. And though he isn't in the hero course, Shinso is also a very diligent student."

Toshinori nodded slowly in agreement, smiling at her words, but Hizashi seemed to remember that he was indeed in the room with them and swung to point both of his fingers at him.

"Toshinori! Who stands out most to you?"

"A-ah..." He stuttered, not thinking he'd be put on the spot so suddenly. "Let's see...I expect to see a lot of growth from Young Midoriya in particular."

"Oh! The boy that keep injuring himself." Present Mic recalled, scratching at his temple.

Toshinori's nervous smile turned genuine, and his gaunt face lit up just a little. "He shows a truly passionate spirit that many do not possess. I believe he will become a great hero once he discovers a way to handle his own power."

"Midoriya, huh?" Hina mused, sipping at her tea patiently. "He's a very bright student, but from what Aizawa tells me, he can't control his quirk yet. He's said that he's had to visit with Recovery Girl several times already. What makes you put your faith in him?"

The number one hero seemed to catch himself, eyes widening for a brief moment, before scratching the back of his head sheepishly with a small smile. "He...reminds me of myself in many ways." Was his response, and they both accepted that answer.

Just then, the door to the lounge opened, and Aizawa entered quietly. Hina smiled, about to greet him, but the announcer hero beat her to it, standing once more and shouting his name in glee. The erasure hero gave a half-hearted response before grabbing his lunch from the communal fridge, walking over to sit beside his friend.

"Aizawa, we were discussing which students we feel would have the best chance to win the sports festival. What do you think? Which of them do you feel has the most potential?"

He calmly ate his his bento box, eyeing her evenly. "They're all just as lacking as the previous students I've taught. I think it's pointless to speculate right now."

Hizashi was unconvinced, placing his hands on his hips. "Ah, you can't really mean that! You wouldn't have kept them all around this long if that was the case."

He only shrugged. "Their preliminary test scores weren't anything special. It really just all comes down to how hard each of them are willing to work to become the heroes they look up to. Until I see which ones can handle the hard work ahead of them, I can't say for sure."

Hina shook her head, smiling a little behind her cup of tea. Such a pessimist...but she sort of found it cute. He could be too logical sometimes. Present Mic began talking about another subject with Toshinori, but Hina ignored it for a moment, her gaze fixed on the man across from her.

_"I know you care about them, Aizawa. No amount of keeping up your apathetic attitude will convince me otherwise."_

He glanced at her briefly, but returned to his meal without responding in any way.

* * *

"Hina, you look exhausted!" Nemuri exclaimed, walking beside her through the crowded mall. "When I asked you to come shopping with me, I didn't realize you were practically a zombie. You could have said no and gone home already, you know."

"No, no. I wanted to come along. It's been awhile since we got to spend some time together outside of work." Hina said, holding back another yawn with effort. She didn't want to admit that she'd certainly thought about telling her no, but that she had needed a few pairs of sweatpants for some time now. And, she did miss her friend as well. Even working at the same school left little time to interact with each other socially. There was always so much to do as a teacher, much more than you'd ever expect.

Kiyashi was less busy than usual, though the night time crowd still drew in a large number of people. They walked towards one of their favorite department stores. The telepath could feel stares in their direction, but knew that Nemuri was the one they were centered on. Even out of costume, she was someone easily recognizable by her long, flowing midnight blue hair.

Even her casual clothing was a little on the risqué side, as her skin-tight halter top and shorts weren't a far cry from her hero costume. Hina felt practically like a nun next to her, sporting pants and a regular t-shirt that she'd dug out from the back of her closet.

"It has been awhile since we've gone shopping together, hasn't it?" Nemuri mused aloud, going inside the store to see the season's newest selection. Her eye caught a colorful-yet-sexy top on the mannequin and she made a beeline for that rack, eyes practically shining like stars. "Ooh, hello gorgeous."

"Yes," Hina grinned, pointing towards the shirt, "and I'm pretty sure you bought a shirt just like that the last time we came here. Are you sure you don't already have that one?"

"Hmm..." Nemuri looked it over, frowning slightly, before tugging her size off the rack and grinned. "Hell, what's the harm in having two of the same thing? It's cute, so I don't mind."

"Alright..." Hina laughed, looking around but not seeing anything that stood out to her quite yet. She found the sweatpant rack and rifled through a few, not finding her size yet.

"E-excuse me, but...are you the pro hero Midnight?" A male voice asked timidly, and Hina looked over to see a few teenage boys staring up in awe at her female companion.

"Why, yes I am!" She grinned wickedly, tossing her hair for dramatic effect. It was obvious that she loved the attention. "Would you like a picture with me?"

The telepath only rolled her eyes and kept shopping as the men exclaimed their eager agreement. She had a feeling this would be the first of many similar encounters that night.

"That'd be awesome!" The teen said, hurrying to grab his phone from his pocket. He and his friend stood closer to Midnight, but then he tapped Hina on the shoulder. "Could you maybe take our picture for us?"

"Sure thing." She said through her teeth, keeping the annoyance out of her voice. Even if she wasn't all that well known, she was still a pro hero and a teacher for UA, and should act like it. That meant not becoming irritated when fans ask for Midnight's picture.

The two teens stood close to her, smiling brightly, while Midnight posed in the middle of them, winking into the camera. Hina snapped a few pics just to make sure they got a good one, before giving the phone back to the one it belonged to.

"Thanks again!" He called, waving goodbye to Midnight as they left.

"Bye!" Midnight said, twiddling her fingers by way of a wave, then turned to her friend who had gone back to looking through the racks aimlessly. "Well, they were sure sweet. And sort of cute too...think they're of legal age?" Her eyebrows waggled, a playful smirk on her face.

"Nemuri, please..." Hina gave her a long suffering look, which caused the older woman to laugh.

"Ha! You're too easy to tease, Hina. Lighten up a little, won't you? We're out to have fun!" She picked a separate rack to look through, pulling a few interesting articles and inspecting them closer, running her fingers over the fabric.

"I wouldn't call taking pictures of you and strangers very fun..." She muttered. "I was hoping for a night spending time with my friend, not an evening of fielding off your horny fanboys."

Nemuri smiled, amused by her words, but tossed her head to the side. "Oh, I'm sure they're just a few brave souls. I'm out of costume, so I shouldn't be recognized nearly as much."

"Hmm." Hina highly doubted that, the incredulous look on her face plainly evident.

Nemuri glanced over to see if her friend had found anything yet. She frowned, spotting the item she was holding. "Hina! You're not seriously just going to buy a pair of sweatpants, are you?"

She froze like a deer in headlights, holding the pair she'd been eyeing to her chest. "What's wrong with that?"

"This is a shopping outing! You need to find something fancy or flirty, not the same thing you buy every time you go out! Something special! Something you normally wouldn't wear!" She circled behind Hina and pushed her towards the racks she'd been eyeing, pointing at them forcefully. "We're not leaving until you find something in here that you like."

Hina raised a brow, regarding the satiny blouses and low necklines with a mild amount of trepidation. It wasn't that she didn't like dressing up fancy on occasion, but she just wasn't used to Midnight's taste in fashion. She picked one at random, a strappy tank top with barely any coverage up front. "Can this even be considered a top?"

"Of course!" Midnight grabbed it, holding it up to Hina's body to see if it would fit. "Stuff like this isn't meant to be worn for very long anyway, if you know what I mean."

She accompanied her statement with a sexy wink, and Hina rolled her eyes, shoving the tank top back in her direction. "No thanks."

"Aw, come on. It goes well with your hair!" She pressed, her smile widening.

"Nemuri-"

"I was being serious. We're not leaving unless you find something." She said, gesturing again towards the rack.

Hina glared at the clothing, before walking off towards the dresses. "I'm not ever gonna wear any of those shirts. They look ridiculous. And if I'm already spending the money, I may as well go all out with a dress, right?"

She could practically feel Nemuri purr behind her. "That's the spirit! Let's go see what they've got."

* * *

After an intense 20-minute argument about the lack of cleavage that the little black dress Hina chose displayed, she finally convinced Nemuri that for her it was downright scandlous, as everyone else's standard was much different than hers. After taking that as a compliment, the pro hero eventually let the redhead purchase it before they left the store. In the time Hina had tried on the dress and decided on it, Nemuri had found a dozen or so other articles of clothing that she wanted to buy. As usual.

Bags in hand, they left the store and headed towards the entrance of the mall complex. Surprisingly, true to Nemuri's word, no one else seemed to recognize her, and they made their way without incident. Of which Hina was extremely thankful.

"So, last year you accomplished your goal for the school year." Nemuri suddenly said, turning to her friend. "Have anything in particular in mind for this year's goal?"

"I haven't really thought about it." Hina said, looking up at the dark sky as she thought about the answer to herself. She'd been so focused on getting to know her new students it hadn't even crossed her mind.

"I'm hoping to convince the principal to open a small art gallery on the first floor of the school. You know that big storage area that has sat empty for awhile?" Hina nodded, and Nemuri smiled eagerly. "If I can set it up to be a gallery, it would make my lesson much easier, and would help the students engage with the subject. Plus, we could even hold small art festivals with the students that are artistically inclined as well, maybe feature their works in the gallery."

"Wow, you've got it all planned out, don't you?"

"Mhmm, I've been meaning to talk to Nezu about it, but just haven't found the right time. Maybe this year will be the one."

They passed the entrance of the mall and stopped beside the road, waiting for a taxi to arrive. It was a clear night tonight, and the distant noise of the city was a soft background to their conversation.

Nemuri looked intently at Hina again. "Well? Got an idea for your goal yet?"

The redhead sighed, looking to the side. There was one thing that came to mind, but she was still debating saying it out loud or not. She didn't want this to backfire and get around by accident. Well, maybe Nemuri would understand and actually keep this to herself for once.

"I want to become friends with Aizawa."

Nemuri's face instantly perked up, then smiled mischievously, elbowing her in the shoulder a few times. "Eh? Is that so? Just _friends_?"

"Yes. _Just_ friends." Hina emphasized, knowing exactly where her friend's mind was going. She looked down the road. "We've worked together for three years now, and I still feel like we're just acquaintances. I'm close with everyone else except him. It feels strange having just one person who I just can't connect with at work, you know? He keeps himself at such a distant to everyone. I can't help but feel like I want to bridge that gap."

Nemuri was giggling to herself, not sounding too convinced that her interest was purely platonic. "Sure, sure...but getting close to Aizawa isn't an easy task. He hasn't changed much since we went to high school, honestly. Don't you worry though, I'm sure that dress you bought will help keep his eyes on you at the very least."

Hina wasn't normally one to become embarrassed about too many things. She wasn't a shrinking violet, nor was she a teenager any longer. But the implications Nemuri was suggesting was a little too much for her, and she felt her cheeks heat up.

"That's not what I bought it for!" She looked down at her bag, checking the neckline again just to be sure. "It's simple enough that I can wear it to the annual teacher's meeting or something without being thrown out for being inappropriate. I'll probably wear it there."

Midnight couldn't resist one last jab. "Hnn, but you'll make sure Aizawa's nearby, won't you?"

"Tch." Hina scoffed, spotting a taxi approach and slow to a stop in front of them. Finally. Saved by the taxi. "Come on, let's get out of here now."

"Suit yourself, but you're not running away from this. I'll get you to confess the truth eventually."

They both entered the taxi and told the driver where to take them. Hina was almost tired enough to fall asleep in the taxi, but luckily made it to her apartments and inside the building before collapsing onto her soft bed. Not even bothering to hang up her new dress, or undress herself from her clothing, she simply passed out as soon as she hit the pillow.

* * *

A/N- Still here? Awesome! I hope you've enjoyed this third chapter as well. The first few chapters are being used more to introduce you to Hina and her relationships with the other teachers, but the good stuff will start to get rolling soon, I promise. :) Be sure to review if you enjoyed!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N- I hope the classroom scenes don't come across as boring. They are meant to show Hina's relationship with the students and showcase her personality through her teaching style. Let me know if you think there are ways I could improve them!

Onwards!

* * *

"Can anyone tell me some of the social expectations of a pro hero?" Hina asked, grabbing a chalk and standing in front of the board. "There are many I could currently think of, but I'd like a list of at least ten." She faced the class, waiting expectantly as a few students began raising their hands. She pointed towards Ojiro who had been the first to do so.

"Protecting citizens in danger."

"Good." She said with a nod, writing his answer on the board under the number one, then turned and pointed towards Bakugo.

He smirked confidently, raising a fist up as example. "Defeating villains and being super strong!"

Hina smiled, expecting nothing less from the hot head boy. She added it to the list. Midoriya was next.

"Being symbols of peace."

"Mmm..." She hummed, her head cocked to the side. "That answer is pretty All Might specific and a bit too vague to be on it's own, so I'll shoe it in with defeating villains and being strong. But a good guess!"

"Upholding and enforcing the laws" Iida added, hand raised stiffly in the air. His determined expression was never failing.  
"Yes." Hina smiled, ticking it down on the board. She turned back to face the front again. "Anyone else?"

There was a small pause, but Uraraka raised her hand as well. "Helping with rescue efforts?" "Correct. All good answers so far." She nodded, adding that to the list. She tapped on the board beside the answers, smiling eagerly. "Now, I'm seeing a pattern so far. Does anyone know what that might be?"

This time, no hands raised, and she chuckled to herself. Well, they were still learning, she supposed. After another second or two of silence, she gestured to the items listed.

"All of your answers have been things that pro heroes actively _do_. But isn't being a hero more than just the number of villains they've defeated or the number of lives they've saved?" She watched everyone's expression begin to change into that of slight understanding. "There is more to being a hero than just the arrests and rescues, you know. For instance..."

She wrote down 'guiding the community by example' under the answers the students had given. "This one is especially important. As I'm sure you can imagine, it's very common for heroes to be looked up to and admired by everyday citizens. Wouldn't it be vital for them to live by just values as well? There's nothing worse than a hypocritical hero, after all.

"Now, with that in mind, can you think of any other expectations the community places on a pro hero?" She concluded, happy that more hands had been raised than before. Things like 'being respectful' and 'providing a feeling of safety' were added to the board. 'Keeping cool under pressure' soon followed, with 'responsible quirk use' right after it. Hina was glad that they were beginning to see what she was getting at.

"I'd say we've compiled a pretty good list here." She said after adding 'knowledge of regulations' to the list, setting down the chalk and stepping out of the way so the students could see the whole board. "Can anyone take a guess at what my lesson for today might be, based on everything we've discussed so far?"

Momo raised her hand, though looked a bit unsure of her answer. "There's more than what we might think to being a hero?"

"Very good!" Hina clapped her hands together proudly. Then, she gestured behind her at the board. "As you can see, we've listed a lot of things that pro heroes have to keep in mind when they enter the public eye, and this doesn't even cover a quarter of everything that goes into accepting the title of pro."

"Are there really that many rules involved?" Kaminari grimaced, eyes skating over the dozen or so reasons they'd already listed. "I thought heroes had a lot more freedom than this."

Tokoyami spoke up before Hina could say anything more. "Of course heroes would have to be regulated. Having them do whatever they wanted to would make them no different than a villain."

"To a point, that is correct." Hina said, glad that the class was interacting with her more today. Sometimes her lectures could get a bit boring when they wouldn't respond. "Quirks by themselves are heavily regulated in order to keep the peace and to put a justice system in place that is clearly defined. Hero expectations are really just an extension of that. This is to protect not only the public, but themselves as well.

"But I'm referring more to what the general public expects of those protecting them, rather than the rules put in place by the government." Hina continued, crossing her arms as she leaned against her desk. "Before you become a hero, you must first understand the spotlight you will be stepping into, and exactly how you fit into it all. It's easier to provide examples than to just speculate with words, though. So...

"Mineta," she stated, turning her gaze to him. He flushed a little under the direct attention, "if you found yourself rescuing a bikini-clad woman from drowning in a lake, the social expectation would be that you do not drool over her lack of clothing, yes? A scandal involving someone you saved could definitely hinder any future rescue attempts you might have if women don't trust you."

Even before she'd finished the statement, he'd started to slightly water at the mouth just from the description. But before they could think more on it, she went from student to student, really getting her point across.

"Koda, people will expect you to speak, and to not be afraid of the villains you are facing. They would not be able to feel confident in your ability if you do not possess your own self-confidence. All Might's constant smile is part of that. People feel safe when he arrives because he exudes confidence. They will expect the same result of you."

The animal-talker's mouth wavered and he looked down at his desk.

"Bakugo, victims often do not enjoy feeling as if it is their fault for being caught up in a villain's misdeeds. Directing your anger towards anyone that isn't a villain would certainly garner you a bad reputation. They expect a hero to treat them with sympathy and kindness after they've gone through a harrowing experience."

He scowled and crossed his arms in response, essentially proving her point.

"Asui, while it may be within your innate personality to say whatever comes to mind first and foremost, remaining tactful and thinking through the implications of your words before you speak them is vital when everything you say will be out in the open for the public to scrutinize."

Asui nodded thoughtfully, looking a little sheepish. Hina heard a muttered 'giro' under the teen's breath.

"Those are just a few examples of what pro heroes think about and consider on a daily basis when dealing with the public. So while you are training the strength of your quirk and your combat capabilities to defeat villains, I advise you also keep the people you are saving in mind as well. They will be your most vocal supporters and your harshest critics all in one."

The bell rang suddenly, and the students began putting their papers in their book bags. Hina circled around back behind her desk as they packed up.

"Please remember that your occupation report is due tomorrow as soon as you walk in the door. I will not accept them any later than that!" She smiled pleasantly, watching them all leave one by one. "And be prepared to take down lots of notes on Thursday!"

Shoji was the last to leave, offering a simple wave goodbye as he disappeared out into the hallway with the other students. Hina let out a sigh, before turning around and erasing everything that she had written down. She didn't want to give her next class any sort of hints as to the answers.

* * *

"When will you take your students to USJ? They normally hold that training around this time, don't they?" Hina asked Aizawa, who was walking towards the school's exit with her. The school day had wrapped up, finally, and for once neither of them had to stay late and grade papers. She was looking forward to having time to relax at home without the ever-present task of grading and updating the student's files. And, she didn't mind having a few minutes to chat with the person she sought to become friends with. That was a plus.

He regarded her evenly, eyes half-lidded as always. "In a few days. Thirteen is finishing some adjustments to the disaster zones." He responded in a monotone. They reached the elevator and he pressed the button to call it to them. "He wants to tailor them to better suit their quirks."

"Hmm...well you'll have to tell me how it all goes. I'm quite curious as to how they'll do." She smiled, and he watched her out of the corner of his eye.

A small ding announced the arrival of the elevator, and the doors opened softly. The two teachers stepped inside together, Hina pressing the button for the ground floor. The cabin whirred to life and began moving downwards, both of them feeling that tiny sensation of a plummet in their stomachs.

"Class 1-A is full of very interesting students." Hina mused, tilting her head as she thought. "But this year has turned out a very promising mix in all departments."

"So I hear." Aizawa said, having heard very similar things from Hizashi. As homeroom teacher of class 1-A and no one else, he often could only learn about the other pupils from the teachers who taught the basic courses. "Apparently there is one kid with a mental-based quirk in the General Course, similar to yours."

"Oh! You mean Shinso." She said with a smile, feeling the elevator slow itself down as it approached the first floor. "He's quickly growing on me to be honest. Very bright and studious. And very dedicated to proving his worth. One of his goals was to eventually transfer into the Hero course, you know."

"Hmm." Aizawa hummed noncommittally, the first to step out of the elevator when the doors opened. Hina was just a pace behind him. "If he can put himself out there during the sports festival, then it might be possible. But if my students progress like I expect them to, that may prove difficult for him."

Hina grinned, elbowing him gently in the shoulder. "Careful, Aizawa. If you keep praising your students like that, someone might think you don't actually mind them."

This earned her an annoyed sigh and an eye roll. "Why does everyone assume I'm trying to deny liking my students?"

"It's that charming, overabundant logic of yours. Always so black and white." She laughed cheerfully, and he just stared at her. "Either that, or maybe the fact that praise from you is so rare."

"Needless praise is detrimental to growth. Bakugo is a prime example of that." He pointed out, leading them both around the corner. "When they do something deserving of it, then they receive it."

"Hmm, I should take a lesson from that, then. I can be pretty generous with it." She remarked abashedly. "You and I have drastically different teaching styles by the sound of it."

Rounding another corner, someone walking by caught her eye. "Ah, Cementoss, are you heading home as well?" Hina asked, noticing the modern literature teacher in UA's lobby entrance. He turned, spotting the Life Skills teacher and 1-A's homeroom teacher.

"Hina, Aizawa." He greeted pleasantly, waiting for them to approach. "Actually, I was just on my way to the gardens on the school campus. I often enjoy meditating after classes end when the students and other faculty are not present." He stated simply.

"I didn't know you meditated." She pointed out excitedly, learning something new about her coworker. "Though, now that I think about it, that seems so like you."

"Yes. Often I prefer doing so without company, as it could cause distraction with too many people around and just defeat the purpose. But today I'm feeling more social than usual. Would you like to join me? I'm sure a mental quirk like yours would benefit from it." He said with a smile.

She had several chores that needed doing at home, and she hadn't had a day to really relax in her sweatpants after work in awhile. But the sound of meditating in UA's gardens was just too pleasing to pass up. "I'd love to."

He nodded, then turned to her male companion. "Aizawa, the invitation extends to you as well."

He closed his eyes, hands stuffing themselves in his uniform pockets. "I'll pass."

"Why not?" Hina asked, crossing her arms and turning towards him. He looked at her blandly.

"I'm not into that sort of thing. It sounds a little too boring for my tastes."

Hina laughed, hiding her mouth behind her hand delicately. "Pff, boring? Says the man who spends half his free-time napping in his sleeping bag. That's practically the same thing. Come on, it'll be fun! I bet you'll enjoy it if you try it out."

His eyes narrowed at her teasing, unamused. "No thanks."

"Fine, suit yourself. We'll just have to do something fun that you enjoy one of these days." She remarked offhandedly, expertly hiding her disappointment at not getting to spend more time with him behind her smile. Oh, well. She couldn't have expected their friendship to happen overnight.

Aizawa hummed, watching her for a moment, before turning and pushing his way through the front entrance. "Ja ne." He called behind him, raising a hand in goodbye.

"Bye!" Hina called, then turned to Cementoss happily. "Please lead the way!"

* * *

A/N- They just can't seem to stay together for more than a few minutes, yeah? Oh, well. I'm sure they'll be spending more time together soon. :) This is a slow burn after all. No need to rush things right out of the gate. If you are enjoying the story so far, leave a review! They really help me out.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N- I'm expecting chapters to be a bit longer from here on out, though some may be of shorter length if it only focuses on an interaction between Hina and Aizawa. Please enjoy this new chapter! :)

**Leoki-** I am certainly trying my hardest to update as quickly as possible!

Onwards!

* * *

"Hah...hah...hah..." Hina panted out, turning the speed of the treadmill up a few more notches before settling into the new, faster pace. Her feet stomped a quick rhythm against the machine, but it only sounded to her as dull thumps through her headphones, which blasted music at a painful volume. Really, she should worry about doing damage to her eardrums, but the beat reverberating through her skull was just perfect to keep her going.

The person on the treadmill beside her gave her a strange glance, but she ignored it, focused on not falling flat on her ass. Well, her work out was a bit more intense than the few other people currently in the gym with her this late at night, so she could only assume she was quite the spectacle to these people casually lifting weights while watching the tv set against the corner of the room. They clearly didn't train quite as hard as a pro hero did on a regular basis.

Her red hair swung from her pony tail which dangled down to her shoulders, swaying back and forth which each step. Now that she thought about it, maybe putting it in a bun would have been a better option, as it hair kept brushing against the back of her neck, irritating the skin just enough that she had to keep scratching at it annoyingly.

Her workout persisted for another ten minutes at the consistent speed of whatever the setting of 7 was on the treadmill. She wasn't quite sure how fast it calculating out to be, but it was definitely fast. Her eyes on the clock on the wall above the rest of the gym's machines, she waited until precisely 11 o'clock to press the 'End Workout' button on the screen and slow the treadmill's conveyor to a stop.

Hina took large gulps from her water bottle, shakily stepping off of the machine and walking over towards her stuff hanging on the wall. She felt like each step traversed more distance than it actually did, as if she were still running despite maintaining a casual walking speed.

Hauling her purse over her shoulder and hooking her water bottle around the chain, she held the door open for someone just entering the gym and pushed past them into the cooler night air.

It felt heavenly against her sweaty skin. She lifted her arms slightly, letting the air do its job and cool her from her intense work out. She imagined that her skin was blotchy and nearly as red as her hair. Yuck, she definitely needed a shower now that she felt the sweat begin to dry properly.

Turning in the direction of home, Hina pulled out her cell phone and checked to see if she had any new messages. Nothing new, and she'd already read the news before leaving home to head to the gym, so she didn't feel like surfing anymore of the web for the night. Instead, she just watched the people around her.

Several people glanced her way just before she passed them by, and it was at times like this that Hina wished she could use her quirk out in the open without consequence. No one would _technically_ know even if she did, since no one ever felt her reaching out to their thoughts, but that would be riding the fine line between being a pro hero and stooping to the level of a creep peering into others' mind because of nothing but her innate curiosity. That thought had always stopped her from trying it.

For a telepath, she truly was clueless what everyone was thinking. What did she look like to them? Did any of them still recognize her as a pro at all? The younger children would probably have no idea, but the adults surely would know her face, or at least recognize her by the color of her hair. Perhaps not...

I've got no one to blame for that but myself. It's not like they forced me out of it or anything.

Hell, now that she thought about it, the last time she'd done solid hero work was nearly 5 years ago. Sure, she did a patrol every once in a blue moon-she didn't completely neglect her duties-but for the most part, she kept herself away from hero work because...

Because of her own pride, she supposed. Huh. What a pro hero she'd turned out to be. Hiding away from the public, not doing her job, just because of her brother. And she was the one teaching the next generation of heroes what was right and wrong? How pathetically ironic.

Reaching the end of the small avenue that the gym was located on, she swung a right and began her trek up the main street towards her home. Despite the darkness of the night sky, this area of the city was always alight with streetlights, advertisement signs, and car headlights. The higher-rise buildings still had a freckling of office lights on through the glass windows; office workers staying late to finish their jobs, or perhaps managers still on the grind for those night time opportunities. Who knew?

Between the break of two large buildings, she spotted the very top of the UA High School building, several streets away but still visible from this distance. She smiled, still feeling lucky that she had such an esteemed position and place of work. How she'd ever gotten that job still amazed her.

The shakiness in her legs had passed by now, replaced by a low ache that would persist until her muscles repaired themselves properly. At least she worked out enough that she likely wouldn't feel a painful soreness the following morning. That was a plus.

Just after the small 24 hours convenience store, she crossed a left and headed towards the area of town that was most prevalent with housing structures. Street lights still lit the corners of the streets, but the area wasn't bathed in illumination like the main road had. Pockets of darkness hung in alleyways between apartment buildings and small family-owned shops.

Hina did not worry about any criminals lurking in the shadows, as even if one happened to be there waiting to ambush her, she was confident in the ability for her to protect herself. Higher profile criminals generally didn't spend their nights waiting for unsuspecting people to walk by so they could take them by surprise, so anyone she encountered would probably be manageable to take down by herself.

A majority of the houses at this time of night were dark, the occupants inside sleeping, so it gave her a very strange feeling of isolation walking home in the dark like this. The occasional passerby would break her illusion, but she could still imagine that the area was devoid of population sometimes.

She just happened to look up at the sky to try to see any stars that might be visible when a figure crouched on the corner of the roof of a building caught her eye. The man was slim, with a familiar length of floating ribbon around his profile, peering away from her direction down at the streets.

Hina smiled, activating her quirk and leaning against one of the buildings for a moment. _"So, how goes the patrol tonight?"_

She watched as he stiffened, then searched down below for her quickly. The faint dull yellow color of his protective goggles stared down at her.

**_"Uneventful. Boring."_**

_"I'm sorry to hear that, though I don't think it would be right of me to wish that something happened just so you'd have something to do."_ Hina replied internally, amused by his monotone. _"You could always call it a night and take some time to yourself, you know. Maybe get some more sleep or something."_

**_"Skipping patrol isn't very hero-like."_**

She winced, feeling slightly guilty. He was hitting close to home with what she'd been thinking about earlier, but she shook it off and tried to let it go. _"We're all human. You'll need sleep at some point to function at your best. Either on patrol or with teaching!"_

_**"Contrary to what everyone seems to believe, I do sleep."**_ He quipped back, and she felt a spark of annoyance accompanying his words. **_"It's the weekend anyway. My teaching shouldn't be affected. Nor be of your concern."_**

_"I'm just trying to look out for you since, you know, you don't seem to do that for yourself."_ Hina smiled, making sure to push the fact that she was only teasing him into her thoughts. He already seemed a little annoyed. No need to make him actually angry because he misunderstood her intention.

It took him a few moments to answer. **_"Be careful walking home, Scarlet."_**

She pouted, unamused that he referred to her by her hero name and seemingly ended their conversation all at once. She pushed off the wall she'd been leaning against. _"I can take care of myself. But hey, you could follow me home to make sure I get there. That'll really complete the whole stalker vibe you're currently giving out."_

She saw two small dots of red, barely distinguishable through his goggles. The feeling of her quirk activation instantly shut itself off, and she chuckled to herself. Apparently he was done talking for the night and made sure it stayed that way.

"Ja ne!" She called up to him cheerfully, raising a hand in farewell as she resumed her walk home. He didn't reply, but after several seconds, she could feel the ability of her quirk return to her. She braved a glance back but noticed that he was no longer in the spot he'd been sitting before. He'd moved on somewhere else, no doubt looking for trouble in other areas of the city.

* * *

Save for his brief encounter with Hina a few hours before, Aizawa's patrol was very boring. Watching the dark streets for signs of movement that wouldn't come got old pretty quickly. Not even any small-time thieves or burglars tried anything that night in the areas he was looking over. That could only be a good thing, as it meant no one would get hurt or experience that small moment of terror that they would be the victims of a crime, but he surely did prefer having something to do sometimes.

The inactivity was making him tired, more so than usual, and he half wished he'd taken Hina's advice of calling off his patrol early. Sleep sounded pretty great right now. But he had a job to do. And damn him if he wasn't going to do it.

Having sat in one spot for half an hour now with no sign of activity, Aizawa straightened from his position on the corner of the roof and ran along the nearest phone line to choose a new area to keep watch over. It helped keep him awake at the very least as well.

Using his capture weapon to hoist himself up with ease, he settled on top of an advertisement sign, just thick enough to support himself on without risk of falling. This vantage point was much higher than the closer buildings and afforded him a clear view of the surrounding streets and a good portion of the surrounding city.

_"We're all human."_

With nothing else to focus on, he reflected back on his conversation with the red-headed teacher. Hina had seemed a bit...hurt by his words about skipping patrol. Maybe he'd just been imagining it...no, he had definitely gotten the impression that she lost just a smidge of her chipper attitude the moment she'd read his thoughts. Maybe some of her emotions had bled through when she hadn't intended them to.

He hadn't meant it in a insulting way, but she'd somehow taken it that way. He wondered why...Come to think of it, she didn't seem to patrol all that often. She rarely ever mentioned it, and most nights she spent grading papers at the school itself, much like him. But she always seemed to go straight home afterwards. Perhaps what he'd said had reminded her of her lack of patrolling. That seemed the most logical reason.

Hmm. Maybe she just needed a little push.

A flash of light on the other side of the city caught his attention, and he looked up just in time to see a small fireball rise into the sky before fading back into smoke. A low, dulled 'boom' echoed past him just a second later. An explosion. It wasn't exactly close by, but it would only take him a few minutes of traversing the streets to get there if he kept to the roofs and telephone lines.

In a flash, he was speeding off towards the scene of whatever was going on, feet thumping against the various roofs he ran along as he went. Whether the occupants inside heard or not he didn't quite care at the moment. Expertly he jumped from roof to phone lines, keeping his balance as he went.

The vibration of his cell phone caught his attention. Somehow he'd felt it even while on the move like this. He debated ignoring it, but figured it could be important. He pulled out the phone and saw a familiar number on the home screen.

"Eraserhead speaking." He answered in a clipped tone, focused more on not losing his footing along the phone lines than how he sounded right now. The calm yet insistent voice of the police commissioner came through, speaking quickly.

"I understand this is a late call, but we have a situation at Musutafu's maximum security prison. We are asking that any nearby heroes please respond immediately. Their security systems show that at least one exterior wall has been breached." He was seasoned enough not to panic when trying to get important information across, and only included the basics so as not to waste time.

"Already on the way."

The call disconnected and Aizawa stuffed his cell back in his pocket, intent on getting to the prison as quickly as possible.

* * *

He arrived to the sight of several prisoners filtering through the hole created by whatever explosion had gone off, with other heroes already fending off those trying to make a break for it in all the confusion. Inside could be heard the intense blare of the prison alarm. The whole area outside was cast in flickering red light from the quickly-spreading inferno.

Fire crews were on standby, ready to put out the flames as soon as the situation was taken care of. The cause of the blast or how it had all happened wasn't his concern right now, and he jumped into action, landing on the ground beside an unsuspecting prisoner.

"Ah!" He shouted, suddenly finding himself wrapped up in Aizawa's capture weapon and being pulled quickly to the side. But he didn't have time left to think further, as the pro hero's fist connected painfully against his face, knocking him unconscious in an instant. He tossed the criminal towards where the law enforcement were grouping, blocking off exits to those trying to escape, before moving on to the next person within his sight.

Several more weak criminals fell to his fast-paced fighting style, but one in particular wasn't as green. Muscular with a bald head, his eyes were hard and angry, and he didn't shy away from the pro as he shot his capture weapon out to him. The man dodged to the side and tried getting a kick in on Aizawa's exposed side. For someone so large, he was surprisingly fast, but Aizawa managed to use the momentum of his initial charge to shift himself out of the way.

"Remember me, Eraser?" The man asked gruffly, a twisted grin on his face. "You're the one who put me in here. Don't you recognize me?"

"Not particularly." He replied in a bored tone, this time sending two strands of his capture weapon out on both the left and right sides of him, intent on not giving him anywhere to go.

"Well, I've been waiting forever to face you again. I'm sure this will jog your memory!" He shouted, charging straight for the pro hero. His eyes widened as the man's hands changed into two sharp blades, aimed straight for him.

Ah, right. Slasher. _Now_ he remembered.

Aizawa redirected his capture weapon to a fallen piece of the prison's exterior wall, and dragged in in front of him just in time to block the blades. They skittered off the stone, sending the man off balance, which gave him the opening he needed to send one of his ribbons towards the man's foot from behind. It wrapped around his ankle tightly, dangling him upside down several feet in the air before tossing him into the prison wall.

It left him dazed, but not out, and he pushed himself away from the cracked stone. Scowling his hate, Slasher opened his mouth to say something but was cut off when his entire body seized up and he collapsed on the ground in a heap.

Aizawa frowned, but upon closer inspection, his clothes had tightened around him, effectively trapping him within his own prison uniform. He couldn't move, but shouted out his anger loudly.

Best Jeanist stepped closer to Aizawa, watching the man on the ground squirm from within his clothes, but then turned to the other hero. "I believe that's the last of the ones outside."

Eraserhead looked around at the aftermath. Dozens of prisoners lay unconscious on the ground, or were being hauled away by the police. The pro heroes that had showed up all supervised, making sure the more powerful prisoners didn't try anything funny.

The fire department were blasting the flaming wreckage with gallons of water from the hoses. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a few heroes entering the open wall with a squad of policemen, hoping to stop further escapees from coming out.

"This will certainly cause a stir." Jeanist continued, watching everything settle as the break out was controlled. "The blast that destroyed this wall was very powerful, and there doesn't appear to be anything close by that could have caused it naturally."

Aizawa sighed, his capture weapon lazily curling itself around his neck once more. "I have a feeling this will be a lot more work for us down the line."

"Surely." Beat Jeanist agreed, giving his companion a glance. "Until the prison takes a census, there's no way to know just how many prisoners escaped before we arrived, or who we might be dealing with a second time."

* * *

A/N- Exciting? I'm hoping so. Please let me know what you thought of the chapter in a review, as it really helps me out! :)


	6. Chapter 6

A/N- I welcome you to yet another chapter of this story! It's a little difficult to keep Aizawa in character, so please let me know if you feel like he isn't quite how he is in the anime. I try very hard to not tamper with the original aspects that make them the characters we love so much!

Onwards!

* * *

"...any questions about managing your expenses with an inconsistent income? Now will be your last chance before tomorrow's test." Hina said, setting down her chalk and turning towards the class. Most were still furiously scribbling away at the notes she'd written on the board, heads bowed down. She waited a few moments as one by one they finished their notes, looking up at her blankly.

A quick pan around the room with her quirk confirmed that none of them had current questions, though she'd expect some the next time around from either Momo or Iida at the very least that they wouldn't think of until after the test. They always seemed to be brimming with endless questions.

Hina glanced at the clock to check the time only a moment before the school bell rang, indicating that class was over. She'd been really cutting this lesson close, though the students had asked lots of questions during the course of class which had slowed her down a bit. But she was glad they were engaged enough to care about inquiring further on the material.

Everyone began to leave their seats, off to whatever their next class was. It took a few moments, but eventually they all filtered out through the door to the hallway.

She turned and began the task of erasing all of the notes that she'd written. It was a pain, since she'd just have to write them all over again during the course of this period, but she didn't want to give the students all this information at once and expect them to absorb it as well. Once the chalkboard was clear, she sat at her desk to wait for class 1-B to arrive.

They always took a few minutes to get there, so she took the opportunity of silence to check the news on her phone. Tapping to her homepage, a picture of the wreckage of a stone wall that had clearly been destroyed was bathed in red and blue police light at the very top of the page.

The headline attached made her pause. **Explosion at Musutafu's Maximum Security Prison!** Her eyes scanned the words, frowning in worry.

_'Authorities are currently investigating the suspicious circumstances surrounding what caused a large explosion near the prison's eastern wing. The damage destroyed both the prison's external wall as well as the main building inside, leaving both heroes and law enforcement concerned that this was an intentional escape attempt. _

_'Several heroes arrived quickly on the scene to prevent a full-scale riot or further escapees from regaining their freedom, but some speculate that there may have been a few that slipped away in the seconds after the explosion occurred. Until prison officials complete their own internal investigation and census, we are unsure just how dangerous this unexplained event truly is. _

_'Nearby residents to the prison are advised to keep their doors and windows secured, and to avoid traveling alone at any given time until this incident is resolved. This article will be updated further as more information is released.'_

Hina closed her eyes, rubbing at her eyes as a pit sank in her stomach. Musutafu's Maximum Security Prison was where her brother had been kept for the past 5 years. He hadn't been deemed dangerous enough to be locked away in Tartarus, so they'd sent him to the next best thing. The prison had never had a break out incident until now, which would surely cause a stir with the general public in the coming days.

There was no way to know if her brother had been among one of the escapees, or if it had anything to do with him at all, but her gut instinct told her that this was definitely, somehow, connected. Until the prison confirmed their missing inmates, the redhead would worry incessantly that her brother was out there somewhere. And knowing him, he'd-

"Hitagawa Sensei?" Hina looked up swiftly, seeing the first few students of class 1-B standing in front of her desk or entering the classroom. Kendo watched her with some concern, holding the straps of her backpack. "Are you alright?"

"A-ah, yes, I'm just fine." She fixed a smile on her face and straightened in her seat, turning off the screen and tucking her phone back into her pocket. "Sorry to worry you. Please take your seats."

Tetsutetsu and Ibara, who stood behind Kendo, both seemed unconvinced of her claim but respected her enough not to pry, and obediently took their seats. The rest of class 1-B filtered inside in ones and twos until the room was full of students. The bell soon rang to tell the students that class was officially back in session, and she stood from her chair to face them fully.

"Welcome, class. I hope you are prepared to take lots of notes, as there is a lot of information to unpack today." She clasped her hands together, purging her brother from her mind entirely and focusing on work. She could worry needlessly later when she was home.

Instead of disdain towards what they had ahead, she saw determined smiles, pencils already hovering over empty pages of paper to begin. They seemed very confident that they could handle anything she thew at them, and a quick perusal through their minds confirmed her initial impression. Cocky little brats, they were.

"Well...Let's begin, then." She smiled dangerously, swiping the chalk from the holder and set herself to see just how prepared they were for the lesson ahead.

* * *

Scribbling in the last few small changes she wanted to make to the lesson plan for the following week, Hina shut her journal with a snap and stood from her desk, stretching out her back until it popped in a few places.

It was nearly 9 pm, but she'd finally completely caught up on her assignments that needed grading. For once, she had no left-over work to complete the following morning and the inbox on her desk was blessedly devoid of student homework. Without the worry that things were left unfinished, the redhead breathed a sigh of relief. Grabbing her purse, she flipped the light off beside the door, plunging the room in darkness and dragged the classroom door open at the same time.

"Ahh!" She squeaked, jumping back a step when Aizawa stood directly in front of the door, hand raised as if to knock. He pulled back as well, not expecting her to be there. Gripping the front of her costume, she willed her heart to calm itself as what had initially registered as danger in her mind quickly vanished upon recognizing who it was. "Fuck...you scared the living hell out of me."

"Sorry." He said evenly, a tiny smile playing at his lips, stepping aside so she could leave the room, shutting the door behind her. "I wasn't expecting you to be leaving already."

"It's fine, neither was I." She chuckled, feeling foolish now that the moment had passed. They began walking down the hallway, when she realized that he had come to her classroom for some reason or other. "Did you need me for something?"

"Sort of." He shrugged, watching her carefully. "Come on patrol with me tonight."

Hina nearly stopped short, but caught herself before her feet tripped up. Accidentally doing something like that would just exacerbate her embarrassment. Had she misheard? "Patrol? Me?"

"Yes. You."

At first, she had the inkling that this was some sort of prank, but he seemed entirely serious. Her head shook in confusion. "Why the sudden invitation? I thought you liked working alone."

His hand idly rubbed at the back of his neck, but his expression remained neutral. They'd reached the entrance doors. "You mentioned last week that we would do something I found fun. So I'm inviting you."

"Oh, right." The redhead had completely forgotten her comment from their conversation with Cementoss. That didn't mean she hadn't meant it, but Hina hadn't actually thought he'd ever take her up on the offer. This was pleasantly surprising.

Aizawa eyed her from the corner of his eye. "If you don't want to, that's-"

"I'd love to." She interrupted, afraid she'd given off the impression that she wasn't willing. She stopped, causing him to as well, and gave him an amused smile. "But, seriously. You really find patrolling fun? That was your first idea for what you wanted to do?"

Aizawa's expression turned bland. "Are you coming or not?"

She nodded happily. "Of course."

* * *

Fully aware that Aizawa preferred high-up places to stake out during his patrol, she'd been nervous that her lack of a mobility-oriented quirk would cause her trouble keeping up with him. Using a capture weapon to reach high places wasn't an option for her. However, he seemed to keep her capabilities in mind when choosing spots to watch from, as her nimbleness and flexibility served to make up for any other lacking feature when there were things easy to climb nearby. Or she was just looking into it a bit too much. Either way, she was thankful that her acrobatic ability had some sort of use.

They found themselves on top of a bank, watching the street-light illuminated sidewalks below for passersby. Hina had been able to scale the building quite quickly from the flag poles jutting off the side of the building, and vaulted herself over the roof's edge to sit beside him in one smooth movement. One foot dangled down, the other tucked perpendicular to her body.

The wind caught at her hair, which was pulled up to be out of her way. A few stray bangs brushed at her face, but she did her best to ignore them. Her focus was entirely on the streets below, occasionally stretching out her quirk to someone she thought was acting sort of suspicious. So far, they hadn't come across any villains or criminals, and all she ever got from those passing by were mundane thoughts.

They didn't talk much. Aizawa was usually not that talkative to begin with, and the last thing the telepath wanted to do was annoy him to the point where he would regret asking her along. He had stated that he was taking her up on the offer of doing something fun, like he'd mentioned, but Hina wondered why if there was another motive behind his sudden request for company on his patrol.

Struck with another feeling of boredom, her eyes flicked over to Aizawa, who was crouched on the edge of the roof, hair and capture weapon levitating gently upwards. He'd always looked so cool while activating his quirk, so professional and serious, and always at the ready. Plus, it could be a bit intimidating to be the target of his quirk-cancelling gaze.

Before her simple glance turned into prolonged, creepy staring, she looked back down at the streets below, extending her quirk to an older gentleman that was slowly walking his way across the sidewalk, cane in hand. Her mind was immediately filled with images of much younger women posed in provocative, risqué outfits. Obviously he partook of those playboy magazines quite often. Hina grimaced, looking away quickly.

Aizawa seemed to notice her discomfort. "What?"

She waved his concern away, smiling a little because it was sort of funny. "Just a perverted old man. Nothing we need to do something about."

He hummed acknowledgement, before looking back around him. Then, almost as an afterthought, he turned to her. "I should have asked when we started patrolling, but what is your preferred fighting style?"

Hina turned to him again, finally tugging some of her bangs out of her face. "Most of the time I end up flooding the villain's mind with distracting thoughts, then close in for hand-to-hand combat if necessary. There isn't much other use for it in combat."

His eyes narrowed, not entirely in agreement, but moved on. "And if your opponent is too sturdy for close combat?" He ventured, watching her carefully.

She only shrugged. "I honestly just have to figure something out on the spot. My nimbleness and speed usually help me evade until something comes to mind." She could tell he didn't exactly like that answer.

"You should have figured all of that out during your hero course. That's the point of it; working out your quirk's strengths and weaknesses." He mentioned sternly, and she looked away sheepishly.

"Yeah...I've always been more of a support hero, so I never figured I'd be in the brunt of combat with someone like that. My methods have always counted on someone else being there with me to assist." He went to reply, but she held up a hand. "And before you lecture me on it, yes, I know that's an irrational mindset. And I have no excuse, especially since I'm a teacher. I just...haven't really been a pro hero for a long time, I guess."

His hair fell and settled into it's normal demeanor, the ribbons returning around his neck. He lifted the goggles to his head, revealing the red had left his eyes, and looked at her more with curiosity than accusation, of which she was thankful. "Why is that?"

The part of her that had deep-rooted issues with her brother wanted to rise to the surface. It wanted her to shy away from the question or just pretend she was ok, but this was Aizawa. She wanted to get to know him, and the best way to do that was to allow him to get to know her. Even the parts that weren't all that great. Plus, it wasn't like no one knew who her brother was.

"After my brother Daichi turned villainous, the public lost faith in me as a hero." Hina admitted. "Every step I took or word I said was scrutinized by the public, and more than once there was an article published questioning whether I was just biding my time to take the same path as him. Hell, even some of the villains I helped arrest thought I'd possibly consider joining them."

She smiled humorlessly. "There's nothing worse than being lumped in with the people it's your job to defeat. So after awhile I just...faded into the background. Let the public figure I'd retired or something. I just wanted to stop being the talk of the town for reasons like that."

"Why care what they think? It's not like a popularity rating determines whether you can perform rescues or not." He questioned with a shrug. Obviously he had no problem working no matter what the world thought of him, but Hina wasn't that strong-willed.

"They're my reason for pursuing being a hero in the first place. I spent so much time working my way up, and in a single moment my brother destroyed it all. I couldn't handle the shift. I wasn't that experienced at the time, and pretty green. It shouldn't have affected me like it did but...in the end I just let it happen." She accompanied her explanation with a shrug, eyes turning back to the streets below. "I'd always struggled to justify being able to become a hero with the quirk I have, and it seemed a sign that maybe it was time to accept I wasn't cut out for it after all."

And then she smiled. A small, shy smile all to herself. "But I like being a teacher. Working with the next generation of heroes has always brought me a lot of fulfillment on it's own."

"Staying at UA means maintaining your pro hero status." He remarked casually. Something about the way she described herself was bothering him, but he wasn't sure how to voice it right at the moment, or if his comments would be unwelcome. "It should still be a high priority, if only for that reason."

"Yeah..." She trailed off, eyes still following some of the people below them. "In these five years I've missed out on a lot of training and progress. I need to gain that confidence back too, at the very least for the students' sake. I need to be at my very best to protect and educate them."

Aizawa nodded his agreement, though some part of him still wasn't satisfied with her self-deprecating comments about her quirk. As someone who'd experience the same feelings when he was younger, to see her struggle with them now was just a little disappointing.

He was still very curious about her brother, and about her quirk in general. He knew she was telepathic, but the extent of her powers was unknown to him. All most of the staff knew was what she'd told them when they'd first been hired on. Who knew if she'd grown more powerful in that time, or if she'd stagnated in the way that she was describing?

A small silence settled between them, until Hina shifted in place, peering a little closer down to someone running by. She pointed. "There. He's scouting for a store to rob. From the sound of it, he's getting desperate, so he'll probably act soon."

He snapped his goggles back into place, his hair and the capture weapon both raising as he got ready to move. It sounded small fry, but he knew better than to make assumptions like that. "If he's not thinking clearly, that'll just make things easier for us."

Hina followed his lead, sliding down the side of the building by a drainage pipe and following after the potential criminal, eager to begin her slow return to hero work by assisting him in whatever way she could.

_God_, she'd missed this. She'd been a fool to ever stop.

* * *

A/N- I ask every time, but only because it's so important to me. Please leave a review! Let me know your thoughts on the story so far and if there is anything you feel I could improve on!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N- And so we reached the attack on USJ. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I will readily admit that I had not realized that Thirteen was a female until doing a bit of research on her to write this chapter. What a surprise!

Onwards!

* * *

It was by pure chance that Hina happened to see Iida sprinting wildly towards the school building from the direction of the USJ facility. Had she taken her break a few minutes earlier, that may not have been the case at all. On her way towards the teacher's lounge, she'd passed by the north side of the building's windows, and spotted a fast approaching figure from her vantage point on the second floor. She recognized the hero costume and innate speed even from this distance and frowned in confusion. Was the training over already? They'd barely arrived there not half an hour ago, based on when the bus had left.

Maybe this was some sort of punishment on Aizawa's part. It wouldn't be the first time he'd made a student leave training early and walk their way back to the school. But the fact that it was Iida made that very unlikely. He was a model student, who tended to be obedient enough not to get on even the Erasure Hero's nerves. So, why was he madly running this way with a worrying urgency?

Her confusion quickly turned into fear when he came within her quirk's range. Her consciousness latched on to his mind as soon as she could reach it. As he passed beyond the school's security gate and onto the campus itself, she stopped mid step, eyes widening in horror. He escaped her sight in an instant, now out of view from the windows as he entered the building with only a handful of long strides, but that precious few seconds had gleaned her enough information.

Villains. There'd been an attack.

Abandoning her previously slow walking pace, she ran the rest of the way to the teacher's lounge, not caring that she threw open the door with quite an excessive amount of force, surprising the two occupants inside. Nezu and Toshinori, who were faced each other on the couched inside, looked at her with concern. The small principal put his tea cup on the table.

"Hina?" The blonde hero questioned, standing in concern. "What's goi-"

"You need to change into hero form!" She interrupted in a rush, suddenly realizing that Iida intended to come straight for the teacher's lounge, and Toshinori was still in his true form. They really didn't need a second problem added on to what was going on currently. "Iida is on his way right now."

Without another moment of hesitation, his form grew bulky and taller in the blink of an eye, sporting a smile even though he had no idea something bad had happened. She still had a hard time wrapping her mind around how different he looked between in either form. "What happened?"

"I only caught a glimpse of his mind as he ran insi-" She started, but heard heavy thumps up the stairs of the school, and ducked her head outside in the hallway, watching class 1-A's representative slide to a panting halt beside her.

"Hitagawa Sensei! There's been an attack on USJ by a multitude of villains! Thirteen entrusted to me the task of returning here to ask for reinforcements!" He spilled out in a rush, a mixture of panic and determination in his expression. She felt into his mind again, also feeling a deep longing to return to the facility. He was terrified of what might be going on while he was away.

Hina stepped aside as All Might swiftly moved to grip Iida's shoulders, smile never wavering. "How are Aizawa and Thirteen handling things?"

Iida swallowed, looking up into the face of the number one hero. "They were both engaging villains in combat when I left. Aizawa Sensei was facing off against dozens of them. Even if he's a pro, I'm not sure how long he would have been able to keep up with so many."

All Might straightened, then looked at Nezu, who had left his seat on the couch and joined them near the doorway. Hina was shocked to see the smile had fallen into an intense frown, his teeth bared in potent anger. "I'm going on ahead. Send the others as soon as you can." And with that, the intimidating man took off down the hallway at inhuman speeds, sending a wind current that rustled several papers pinned to the walls of a nearby cork board, a few falling to the ground with the sheer force.

Nezu turned to his female companion. "I must get to my office to page the teachers."

The redhead nodded. "I'll meet them at the entr-"

"I ask that you remain here and keep the students calm. The last thing we need now is a crowd of panicked students with no idea of what is going on. They will surely have many concerns when the entirety of the UA faculty suddenly leave without explanation." Nezu said, smiling at her with his big eyes.

The fire was put out under her feet. It was true, they needed to keep the students calm. But hearing that Aizawa and Thirteen were currently engaged in combat with a number of villains had her extremely worried for their safety. Every fiber in her being wanted to head there now and help however she could. She didn't want anything to happen to them. And being told to stay behind out of the way of combat just added another figurative tick to the times in which her quirk was all but useless to protect the students or her friends. The small principal probably didn't mean it that way, but she definitely took it as such.

They didn't have much time. Arguing with Nezu's decision would cost them precious minutes, and he was a genius for God's sake. He could probably see things at play that she would have no chance of knowing, and perhaps having her stay behind was an important part of that. The last thing she wanted to do was get in the way because of a difference of opinion.

Closing her eyes, she nodded in resignation. "Yes, sir."

The bear-mouse creature hurried off towards his office, and Hina and started down the opposite direction. "Iida, please accompany me to the cafeteria. We need to keep the students all in one place so we can ensure their safety and composure."

He went to take a step, but then hesitated, looking stricken. "Hitagawa Sensei, I...I want to go with the teachers and return to USJ."

She turned in place, concern furrowing her brows. "There are villains there! You will be safest here at the school. I can't allow you to go back there, even with the teachers providing support."

Iida bowed quickly, body bent almost at a parallel angle to the ground. "I know it is selfish of me to ask this of you, but...my friends are there. I promised them I would return, and I want to be there for them, no matter how much risk it places myself in. I feel it deep within me...the desire to assist them as much as possible."

He raised his head to meet her gaze, fully aware that he would be placing himself back in a potentially harmful situation. "It is entirely irrational and irresponsible but...Please, let me go back to them."

Hina stared at the boy, surprised to see such fierce passion in his expression and body language. She flashed out her quirk, finding no hidden fear or second thoughts that indicated his outward facade was just a well-crafted defense to being afraid. He truly believed he needed to be there with his fellow classmates. And as someone who also wanted to be there, despite knowing she was little use in a fight, couldn't bring herself to deny him of what they both felt deep within them.

"Go." She pointed down the hall. "Tell the teachers you are there with my blessing if they ask. But do not put yourself in harm's way, Iida. Promise me this."

"Hai! Arigatou..." He muttered, before sprinting down the way he'd come and towards the school entrance. Hina turned and ran towards the direction of the cafeteria, hoping beyond hope that he would uphold his end of the bargain and return uninjured.

* * *

_"What's going on?" "Why did all of the teacher's leave all of a sudden?" "Are we under attack?" "Hey, watch it, you stepped on my foot!" "Maybe this is some sort of practice drill or something..."_

The students talked amongst themselves in the crowd as all of them gathered in the cafeteria. It was one of the biggest places where they could all fit without being cramped, and without being outside, which Nezu had worried would pose them greater risk. Going off the basis that the school would be left relatively unprotected once the staff left to help at USJ, he didn't want a surprise attack to befall the school.

Hina stood beside Hound Dog in front of Lunch-Rush's kitchen line. Both teachers watched quietly as the last trickle of students arrived from the top floor of the school, finding places to stand in the space available of the cafeteria.

The noise level was loud, as everyone kept asking questions between themselves and generally just speculated as to what might be going on. Hound Dog howled to get everyone's attention, and the students grew quiet, looking their way to hear what they had to say.

"Everyone...grrrr...ruff...rrrrruff...your...grr...composure...grrr...rruff...under control!" He shook his head to try to get the muzzle off of him but it was no use. The redhead sweat-dropped, watching the students watch in utmost confusion. They had no clue what he'd been trying to say. She stepped forward, clasping her hands together and smiled apologetically.

"What he means to say is...Please, remain calm and do not panic, as everything is under control. The situation is being handled." Several students up front and closest to them began raising their voices, but she held up her hands defensively. "I ask that you not talk all at once. We need to remain composed, please."

"What's going on, Hitagawa Sensei?" Awase from class 1-B asked, raising his hand nervously. "All of the teachers were called away, and now we're being told to stay in the cafeteria?"

Hina sighed, but kept her neutral composure. It wouldn't do to show the students that she too was unsettled by the events unfolding. They would find out what happened eventually, and rather than allow false rumors to spread unfettered, she thought it best to tell the truth straight out and keep it all contained in one place. "The students of class 1-A and a few of the staff who were attending a training at the USJ facility have been attacked by a number of villains. As of now, we don't have further word of the current situation, and the principal has requested the staff to assist in ensuring everyone's safety."

Immediately, the students began to turn to each other with wide eyes, mumbling and muttering their worries. Hina frowned, already feeling the widespread panic begin to set in, however Hound Dog growled and howled again to stop them from continuing to work themselves up into a frenzy.

"Quiet! Rrrruff! Grrr...strong...rrrrr...grrr...don't worry!" He shouted out.

The students turned to Hina for a translation, and she smiled her best convincing smile she could manage. "He says that the teachers of UA are strong, and they can handle the situation, so there is no need to worry about the other students or faculty."

"Is All Might helping too?" Another student called out, but Hina couldn't quite pick out who it had come from.

She nodded. "Yes, All Might left for the scene before the rest of the teachers were gathered. I imagine he arrived on sight within a few minutes."

And all at once, most of the worry seemed to melt from the students' minds. She hopped from person to person, but the very mention that All Might was there had seemed to do the trick for calming them down several notches. Most seemed entirely confident that everything would work out just fine with him taking over.

_"That seemed entirely too easy...One mention of All Might and no one bats an eye."_ She projected to her fellow teacher, and Hound Dog huffed in agreement.

_**"At least the students have calmed down...we just need to make sure there is no attempt of an attack on the main campus until the faculty returns."** _

Hina nodded, eyes watching the students begin to mingle casually amongst themselves, topics of conversation shifting to more superficial things. Had she not known the circumstances, she would have been convinced they were all here for lunch or some sort of assembly.

Her eyes closed and she tuned out the students' noise for a moment, wondering if things were indeed ok, or if All Might had gotten there too late.

_Hopefully Aizawa is ok..._ Hina caught herself thinking embarrassingly, blushing a little. _And Thirteen too, of course._

* * *

"Hi, I'm looking for room 313?" Hina asked of the brunet nurse currently on duty. He looked up from his computer, then glanced at the clock on the wall. The bags under his gray eyes indicated he'd been on shift quite awhile.

"Oh, you're one of the UA teachers, aren't you?" He guessed, and she nodded. He scratched the back of his head reluctantly. "Visiting hours ended at 6. I'm not really supposed to let you in."

He must have noticed the disappointment wash over her face, because he watched her for another moment with a conflicted look in his eyes, before standing from his chair. She watched as he looked both ways down the hallway, searching for anyone who might be around.

"...but, you know? I'm the only one on duty right now, and I know that UA isn't up to anything funny, so I'll let you in this once." He grabbed his medical pass and rounded the desk to show her to the room.

"I'd really appreciate it." Hina smiled thankfully, bowing at the waist and gripping the boxes of food that Lunch Rush had prepared for her tighter so as not to drop them. Straightening up, she followed him down the hall and turned left down another hallway further on.

"Chances are they won't be awake yet, but you can leave your gifts on the small tables beside the beds." He instructed, stopping just outside the room she'd requested before. "I can only give you a few minutes, sorry. Any longer and I could get in serious trouble."

"I understand. Thank you again." She said. He unlocked the door and opened it just wide enough for her to enter.

The room was dimmed so the two heroes inside could sleep without too much disturbance. Thirteen's damaged suit was leaning against one of the machines in the corner, and her body was entirely wrapped in bandages. A heart rate monitor beeped a steady rhythm, indicating that at the very lest her condition was stable.

She set the small box of green tea cookies that Lunch Rush had prepared on the small table beside her bed, looking over to her injured coworker with a wince. Her own quirk had caused quite an amount of damage to her body, but the extent was hidden by the bandages helping her heal. She hoped that the damage was nothing permanent.

Turning to head towards Aizawa's side of the room, she walked over and set the dumplings on his table, knowing they were one of his favorite foods. From what the doctors were saying, he probably wouldn't wake up until at least the next day, having gone through a surgery to repair damage to his eyes. But the dumplings would keep for that long, and he'd have something to eat once he was awake.

She turned to head out the door, glancing his way as she went, but stopped when she noticed his head was directed towards her. "Aizawa?"

"Are those dumplings?" He questioned softly, voice partially muffled by the many bandages wrapping his face.

"Uh, yeah."

"Please tell me Mic didn't make them." He sighed in a mixture of fatigue and trepidation, watching her through the slits in the bandages. The situation was all too unexpected and comical that Hina let out a huff of a laugh, pulling the nearest chair a little closer and sitting for a moment. She tried to keep the noise down so as not to disturb Thirteen.

"No, Lunch Rush put them together when I told him I'd be visiting today." Her eyebrow quirked up a smidge. "Though now I'm curious as to why Mic making them would be such a bad thing."

"He's a terrible cook." Aizawa said bluntly, resting his head against the pillow at an angle to better see her without causing him pain.

"In all the years I've known him, he has yet to make something you could call edible."

"Come on, he can't be that bad...can he?" She added, finally noticing his pointed stare.

"He can."

"Maybe we should rethink a pot luck for the staff Christmas party, then." Hina smiled, cocking her head a bit. "You're not supposed to even be awake yet. How are you feeling?"

"Fine."

"Uh huh, sure." Her amusement was practically tangible. "Says the man wrapped up like a damn mummy. You had us all pretty worried, you know. Staying at the school to keep the students calm was almost too much for me. Not knowing the situation until afterwards was some sort of hell."

"From what I hear, All Might swooped in and took care of things in the end." Aizawa mentioned blandly, as if the fact it had been All Might had hurt his pride just a bit. She knew they weren't exactly close friends. "There was no need to worry."

"Well, if not for your students, that may not have been the case." She pointed out with a smile, leaning back in her chair comfortably. She hoped that the nurse wouldn't come looking for her, as she had already stayed much longer than she'd anticipated to. "They all performed wonderfully, given the circumstances. Other than Midoriya, no one was injured." He closed his eyes. "They weren't prepared to face such a threat this early on. But, yes. They did well, nonetheless."

Hina's arms crossed, remembering another thing from her conversation with Iida. "I also hear you took on dozens of villains by yourself. I hadn't pegged you as the reckless type, Mummy Man."

His eyes opened again, staring at her in response to the nickname she'd given him. "I couldn't allow them to get to the students."

The redhead smiled, knowing that Aizawa didn't do things without reason. To fight at a disadvantage like that with such high numbers stacked against him had meant he'd run out of any other options at the time, and done what he could to protect his students. She didn't blame him, instead, felt admiration for his willingness to put himself in harm's way for those he cared for.

She glanced at the clock on the way, noticing the time and that she'd exceeded her allowed 'few minutes' the nurse had mentioned before. As much as she wanted to stay and talk with him longer, Aizawa looked exhausted and probably really needed the rest.

"Well, your class is worried about you and wish you a quick recovery." She said, standing from her chair and scooting it back over to where it had originally been situated. Her gaze met his and she smiled sweetly. "Especially me. Work doesn't quite feel the same without you there, so...please recover and heal so I can see you again soon."

He didn't respond, just watched her with a curious look to his eyes. Knowing he wasn't likely to respond, she bid him a good night and left the room, shutting the door as quietly as possible.

* * *

Aizawa stared at the door even after Hina had left, unsure of what to make of their conversation.

"_Work doesn't quite feel the same without you there..." _

It was more than likely she'd meant it as a platonic expression of wishing him a quick recovery, but for some reason he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something...more to it. Not for the first time, he'd been struck by the sheer genuineness of her smile and the way her head cocked every so slightly to the side when she did so.

They'd never been particularly close, admittedly due mostly to his distant personality, but she'd never let that change the way she treated him. The redhead always seemed happy to see him, and was eager to converse with him when they found each other in the presence of one another. More so as of late, now that he thought about it.

_Hina is kind to everyone_, he told himself, closing his eyes to try getting back to sleep. For awhile, he was able to purge everything from his mind, letting the vestiges of rest begin to creep back up on him. His body was still in pain, but the painkillers were helping him to a large degree.

...maybe it hadn't been platonic after all.

_Was that her attempt at coming on to me? No, I'm overthinking things_, he suddenly wondered, eyes opening of their own volition. For some reason, his mind couldn't let that note go, replaying their encounter over and over until he told himself he was being highly irrational.

But even that wasn't much help this time.

* * *

A/N- So, we get a little bit more Aizawa x Hina interaction, but we're keeping that train riding real slow, my dudes. However, it's a good start for what is to come!

As always, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and please consider leaving a review! Your feedback is what I seek when I post these chapters, good comments or bad, as I want to know what you think of the story as a whole. Thanks so much in advance!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N- I'm taking some liberties with Ectoplasm's character, as we don't see much of him in the anime, and I have not read the manga. I totally see him as the cool uncle that is also pretty hilarious. So, yeah. I mean, the dude loves karaoke. He's the Uncle type for sure.

**lemonfactoryxx-** Yes, indeedy it is. But I'm glad you're enjoying it so far!

**Leoki-** He's totally an overthinker, the cinnamon roll that he is.

** -** Thank you! That's my biggest concern with writing this story is keeping everyone in character, but that can be difficult seeing as I'm so new to the fandom. I hope you enjoy!

Onwards!

* * *

Ready and prepared for the day early for once, Hina sat in her classroom, unsure what to do for the next 20 minutes. She wasn't sure what prompted her to get to work earlier than usual, perhaps the simple desire for a break in her routine. The redhead stared at the clock, her brown eyes tracking each tick of the second hand as it spun around the circular face. Each tick sounded so much louder now that she was focused on it.

_Might as well stretch my legs a bit...no use sitting here staring at the wall._

Standing from her desk, she yawned. Hina opened her classroom door and stepped out into the hallway. It was brightly lit and clean, but somehow felt stale without the occasional student milling about. It only reinforced her belief that the student body really brought this building to life, rather than the state-of-the-art facilities or famed reputation it carried.

For once, the teacher's lounge was empty when she walked in. No Present Mic shouting his greeting as soon as she stepped inside, nor Midnight asking about the latest drama to unfold in her life. Just quiet serenity. Smiling in appreciation of this, she walked over to the coffee machine and set the pot to start.

The gentle hum of the machine was the only noise she heard other than the building's air conditioning kicking on in the vents above. She leaned against the counter to wait for it to finish, when the trench-coated mathematics teacher entered the room. She accepted that the quiet time to herself would only last so long, and flashed him a happy smile.

"Ectoplasm, how're the legs?" She asked, and he chuckled.

"Fake, as always." He made his way over to her on the skinny battle prosthetics that were part of his hero costume, and not for the first time she wondered how he could ever keep his balance on them. "How're the kids?"

Hina grinned. "Non-existent, as usual. You know I'm not exactly looking for a husband any time soon."

"Ah, well. _Someone's_ bound to have a few little ones any day now. I look forward to the inevitable requests to babysit." He said happily, settling himself a few feet away to wait for the coffee to be ready.

So set on being 'the favorite uncle,' but with no desire to have his own children and lacking any siblings, he was vocally encouraging most of the staff members to have kids already so he could finally fulfill that long-time wish. Of course, as pro heroes, relationships weren't exactly an easy thing to maintain, but he could hope all the same.

Hina sighed, staring at the pot as it began filling itself with the revitalizing beverage they were practically dependent on. "I'd say the students this year are children enough for me. Sometimes I wonder how their _actual_ parents managed to raise them for years on end. They must be saints."

"I'll say. Many of them are struggling with the mathematics course, but are reluctant to attend my after-class study session to help them one-on-one." He shook his head. "They know what they have to do to fix their falling grades, but won't put in the work to do it."

"Maybe your helmet scares them away. Go without it for a day?" She offered up playfully, and he looked at her.

"You're saying they'd prefer me sans costume?" He asked incredulously. "They might just scream in terror and run the other direction. I don't think most of them realize that these pearly whites are the real deal and not just painted on."

"Oh, don't be so hard on yourself. You're beautiful just the way you are." She said with a pat to his shoulder, her smile widening. She enjoyed the playful banter that they shared when around each other. He was like the brother from her youth, not the one who now sat in prison.

The coffee machine beeped, and Hina reached for the now-full pot. She poured herself a cup, leaving plenty of room for her milk and sugar, before passing Ectoplasm what was left. He filled his cup nearly to the brim with the black liquid, setting the pot back in its place before taking a large sip. The fact that it was piping hot didn't seem to bother him in the least. "Ah, that's the stuff."

Hina made a face, stirring her drink up to mix completely. "I don't know how you can stand just straight bean water. Blegh."

"I don't understand how you can still call that coffee." He retorted, pointing to her creme-colored beverage. "It's more like sugary milk with the hint of coffee taste."

"Just how I like it." She winked, taking a tentative sip to test the temperature. She glanced at the clock, seeing there were only a few minutes before class began, and she pushed away from the counter. "I should get going. Knowing my first class, they'll be there already waiting for me."

Ectoplasm laughed. "I'll probably hang back a few minutes, since my students could use that precious time to cram before I drop a test on them today. It's worth a quarter of their grade, too."

"What a cruel man you are." Hina replied cheerfully, waving to him as she left the lounge.

The warmth from the drink made her hands warm, even in the cooler hallways. Outside, she could see stragglers entering through the UA barrier, backpacks on their backs and hurrying to make it to class on time. She sipped away at her drink as she walked back to her classroom then frowned when, lo and behold, Aizawa appeared around the corner up ahead.

"What in the hell are you doing here?" She asked in surprise, approaching him.

Through the bandages covering his face, she could still see his eyes. "...Working?" He replied, unsure why she was asking.

Hina gestured to his face and arms in bewilderment, which were still completely wrapped in bandages, leaving them basically useless. "Are you kidding me? Look at you! You should be allowing your body to heal, not coming to work."

"I'd rather be here than sitting in a hospital bed all day." He said in a muffled voice. Hina raised a brow, but he stuck her with a bland stare. "As _hard_ as that might be to believe."

He seemed alright just standing there and walking around, but being the homeroom teacher of class 1-A would certainly require a little more than just filling out paperwork and giving a lecture. Especially with the upcoming Sports Festival, his students would expect to train nonstop.

She also knew he was steadfastly dedicated to his job, almost to a ridiculous degree, and the thought of being absent for a class was probably something he avoided at all costs.

"Well," she finally gave in, thinking that he was both a capable teacher and hero alike, and that he could at least take care of himself, "just take it easy, alright? No need to make things any worse than they are."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Hina looked up as the class bell rang, and she sighed. "I'd better get going, sorry. I've got to get them on the bus soon." She started past him down the hall.

"Oi." He called, and she turned in place. "Let me buy you a coffee when I'm out of these bandages."

Her initial instinct was to ask why, but she figured it didn't matter anyway because it meant they were becoming closer. She smiled, giving a thumbs up as she started towards her class again.

"Sounds great! I love forward to it."

* * *

Hina ushered the students through doors of the community center, having them huddle in the main lobby. They looked around at the many tables and carts that littered the room, filled with cans and boxed goods that would be put together in packages for those in need. The redhead spotted the director on the other side of the room and waved in his direction.

"Ah, thank you so much for coming! Your help will be greatly appreciated..." He said, clasping his hands together. He was an older gentleman, portly with a large face but kind eyes. He bowed to all of them gently. "My name is Uno Tadashi. I'm the director of Community Services for the city. We are very fortunate to have you all on hand to assist us."

Hina stepped in, turning to class 1-A with a smile. "The reason I've brought you here is to hopefully enlighten you. There are more ways to be a hero to the city than just fighting villains, and helping out in a food pantry or refuge shelter are things that many people do not realize are very important for the community's general well being."

"Nowadays," Tadashi jumped in, looking over the students sadly, "your generation seem to forget about our cause, or figure that someone else will do it. This has caused a decline in awareness to what we do. I'm hoping that some of you today will take a liking to it so that you might return one day and help again."

"Until the class period is over, please follow all instructions that he gives you, and have a bit of fun! You may just enjoy it."

She looked over her students, extending her quirk. Most, namely the female students, were excited at the possibility of being of assistance. A majority of the boys didn't feel much towards the task at hand, simply viewing it as a learning and educational assignment, while one boy in particular was not happy whatsoever to be here.

Bakugo stood with his arms crossed, glaring at the tables stacked high with food. Kirishimia seemed to be trying to convince him that this would be a good thing, but he wasn't having any of it.

Tadashi paired them off at random, choosing two students at a time and directing them to specific parts of the building, instructing them that supervisors would tell them their next task. Before long, Bakugo and Sato were the final two students, but Hina stepped in before Tadashi could assign them a section.

"I'd like to speak to Bakugo for just a moment, if you don't mind." She said, earning her a pointed frown from the young boy. Obviously he didn't feel they needed to have a discussion about anything.

"Not at all! I'll have this young gentleman come with me for the time being." The older man smiled, ushering Sato over to a small office.

Hina walked back over towards the entrance of the building, pushing her way through the door so they'd have privacy away from the rest of the class. Once Bakugo had exited, he kicked at the ground with a scoff.

"Tch, you're really wasting my time, teach. How's this supposed to help me make my quirk stronger? Or figure out ways to work on my weaknesses?" He gestured to the building angrily. "All of them can spend their day moving cans around, but I want to go back to the school to train with All Might or Aizawa Sensei."

Hina sighed, placing her back against the building's brick wall. "I see we still don't quite see eye to eye, do we? Even after I explained my course to you on the first day."

"I understand the importance of the other stuff," he corrected with a softer tone, "but I won't have time to play community service with the city after I become a hero. Villains will be my priority. I don't get the point of doing this now."

She reached into his mind, seeing that he was desperate to reach his goal as quickly as possible, and that he saw this as a set back, a waste of time while he could be doing something more productive. So determined for someone so young, with such a nearsighted view of growth. Hopefully he'd see that there was more than one way to get to his ultimate goal.

"Bakugo, you need to understand that I am not doing this simply because I feel like it. There is a purpose to everything I teach you." She said gently, regarding him with a small smile. "I wanted the students to discover this on their own, but I'll tell you outright instead."

She pointed back to the doors of the building. "The people in there? The ones that you help organize a food pantry with and the ones who receive that food as a result? They are the people responsible for determining who the number one hero is. Not the media, not the police or the government itself, but the ones you actively assist every day. Any John Doe you might bump into on the street. They're the ones who vote in those popularity polls which ultimately decide the rankings.

"If you want to become the number one hero so badly, you need to show them you have their best interests at heart. And that means displaying your humility, offering your services, without any expectation of reward or credit."

He still looked a little speculative, eyeing her as if she were about to pounce at him with the intent to deceive him, but she simply trooped forward. "Take All Might and Endeavor as examples; although Endeavor has definitely closed more cases and is speculated to have just as much if not more power than All Might, it's his attitude and superior demeanor that keep him fixed at the number two spot. All Might's hero-like personality is what makes him a Symbol of Peace to the country, not just the fact that he can defeat villains with little trouble."

Bakugo's arms were still crossed but his expression turned more thoughtful than annoyed, staring hard at the pavement. She searched his mind again, and could see the way he was carefully working his way through what she'd just explained. Having that tangible comparison was a great help. She'd keep that in mind for the future.

"So, do you understand why we are here?" She asked quietly, giving him some time to decide if he was going to accept her lesson for the day. Bakugo was a tricky young man in particular, with a very rigid definition of what being a hero actually meant. His vision of being a pro was certainly attainable, but there were definitely several things that he could work on to make that dream much easier to accomplish. She hoped he'd come to understand at least a little of what she was trying to teach him.

"Yeah. Don't want all of the others getting too far ahead. I'm not gonna let them steal the spotlight from me." He announced resolutely, stuffing his hands in his pockets and walking back inside of the building, not looking back to see if she was following. Hina smiled to herself, just a step behind him, congratulating herself mentally for having overcome this small obstacle.

* * *

Hina unlocked her apartment door with a jangle of her keys and she pushed inside with a satisfying sigh. After a long day of going back and forth from the school with each class period of students, it felt so nice just to be home to kick her feet back and relax. Her bag and keys were tossed on the kitchen table to deal with later and she went immediately to her room to change into comfortable clothing.

Tossing her hero costume in the washer for the next day, she collapsed onto the couch in her hoodie and sweatpants and just stared at the black tv screen for a moment. Huh. She hadn't even bothered to turn a light on. With a huff, she pushed herself up from the comfy cushions and clicked the nearest lamp on, illuminating her dark apartment with a dim light.

Now that she was up, she recognized how hungry the long day had made her. Staring at cans and boxes of food made her think about eating all day long, and she'd skipped her lunch after all was said and done. She resorted herself to something quick and easy so she could get off her feet already.

Returning to the couch with a ramen cup and a cup of tea, she turned on the tv to watch something. It was some sitcom about a billionaire man who'd taken in a poor, single mother in need of work. From what she could tell, the man was slowly falling for the woman, while she only saw him as an employer, and thus the drama continued.

After several minutes it began to bore her more than anything. She clicked the button for the next channel, skipping it after it became apparent it was nothing but infomercials. An easy invention that could cut all of her fruits and vegetables in a matter of seconds? No thanks...

Finally settling on the news because nothing else seemed all that interesting, she leaned back and began to eat from her cup of ramen. The news anchors debated amongst themselves if UA hosting the sports festival after such a blatant attack against them was truly the right move.

One female guest shook her head adamantly, jabbing her finger onto the glass table she sat at with the others. _"This an obvious result of UA not following the educational status quo and being allowed to operate virtually unregulated. It should be noted that no other school in the district has had such an event occur on school property, nor has the school apparently increased their security measures to prevent another such instance."_

_"UA has an upstanding record of producing high profile heroes from it's alumni."_ The male beside her pointed out, obviously fed up with what the woman was saying. _"Saying that, it's very apparent they know what they're doing. Having more regulations in place, or Big Brother looking from over their shoulder, would only hinder the growth of these future heroes."_

_"Oh, come on. Is no one going to take into account that students were put in extreme danger here? Maybe no one else is willing to say it, but I will. UA shows a blatant disregard for their students, interested instead on high ratings and pushing out as many pro heroes as possible. That's the real reason they're pushing to host the Sports Festival, despite the circumstances."_

"Oh, fuck off with that..." Hina muttered through a mouth full of ramen. The woman was obviously delusional, or a vocal advocate for completely educational conformity. Thankfully, she came across as a nutcase, so it was difficult for anyone to take her seriously. Anyone who worked at UA would tell you their first and foremost priority was the safety of the students, no matter who they were.

The segment quickly ended, and the tv cut to a commercial break. She got up to use the bathroom, keeping the bathroom open so she could hear the news even from down the hallway. After relieving herself, she set about the task of removing her makeup, wiping away the foundation and mascara that she'd applied that morning.

From the bathroom, she could hear the channel switch back over to the news, the commercial break over. A ding from her phone made her look down, but it was only a work email, and she ignored it for the time being. Hina looked back up at the mirror, rubbing the makeup removing wipe along the creases beside her eye.

_"...identified the escaped villains from the recent prison explosion."_

The redhead perked up, and ran into the other room to watch the segment. The male news anchor with one horn sticking out of his head faced the camera directly, a picture of the prison scene displayed beside him.

_"Prison officials have confirmed that a total of 6 villains managed to escape from the facility in the moments before authorities and heroes arrived to contain the situation."_ Beside him, the picture changed to three mugshots of villains who had escaped, their names just underneath.

Her eyes scanned the three faces, but she didn't recognize any of them. But then they switched, and her heart sank.

The middle picture, a scowling red headed man in a prison uniform, with the name Hitagawa Daichi underneath. His gray eyes, which he'd gotten from their father, stared at her from the screen. The fingers of her free hand gripped the couch cushion like a vise, and the words the news anchor was saying sounded far away and muffled. His picture disappeared after a moment, and she wandered back to the bathroom, feeling just a little numb.

"Daichi..." She muttered, shaking her head slowly. Her fears had come to fruition.

Suddenly, every dark alley and street corner now posed itself a danger to her. With no idea of where he was, she had no way to prepare. Hina didn't like the thought of having to live her life like a hermit now, but she knew that Daichi probably still held a lot of hatred for her. For what reason, she couldn't guess, but their last encounter had certainly made that perfectly clear. He hated her, with every fiber of his being. And she was without doubt that she would be one of his targets.

Her need to become stronger now had a second purpose. Not only would she need to keep the students safe from villains that hoped to harm them, but she'd also have to keep herself safe from her own brother. And it was now a much more time sensitive goal than it had previously been.

* * *

A/N- I hope this chapter was a fun read! I'm looking forward to writing more, and nothing makes me happier than getting feedback on what you think of the story so far! I humbly request that you leave a review if you haven't already!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N- This chapter has a little less interaction between Aizawa and Hina than I'd normally include, but I wanted to give some focus to some aspects of her quirk, and the way she'd handle a particularly...awkward...class lesson. You're welcome in advance for that, I suppose.

**Leoki-** In a way, he totally did. :) He's out and on the prowl, lol.

Onwards!

* * *

Early that morning, _much_ earlier than Hina would have preferred to be conscious and moving around, Nezu called for UA's monthly meeting to discuss the upcoming lesson plans among all of the teachers. He was a principal who believed in transparency. He was open and honest with the direction he wanted the school to take, and expected the same courtesy in return from his staff. It was more of a housekeeping issue, and left little room for miscommunication or confusion down the line, but this way they would all know what the students should expect to learn and their anticipated work load.

Aizawa and Present Mic were already in their seats when she entered. Present Mic shot finger guns her direction, peppy and cheerful as usual, but thankfully didn't greet her with a boisterous shout. No doubt he understood no one was prepared for his loud volume so early in the morning. Or maybe Eraserhead had lectured him about it before she arrived. Hina thought that her borderline rolled-out-of-bed appearance might have accounted for it too.

She'd been running a bit late and hadn't had time to fully put on her makeup or brush her hair out nicely. Figuring she'd just do it after the meeting was over and before class began, she'd rushed out the door with her lesson plan folder and headed to the school.

Snipe and Midnight both arrived at the same time, and the sultry female hero zeroed in on Hina when she entered. "Scarlet!" She cried, referring to the redhead by her hero name when at school or in a professional environment. "My God, woman, you look half dead. What happened?"

"Gee. Thanks." Came the redhead's dull retort, head held up by one hand. "I was running late is all."

Snipe shook one finger at Midnight as they both took their seats. "Don't you think you could have phrased that in a more tactful way?"

She simply tossed her hair and grinned, taking her seat beside the other female. "Oh, lighten up! Scarlet knows I'm only joking around. Don't you, my dear?"

"Right..." She muttered, figuring it was too much effort to chastise her friend for being so blunt. She honestly felt like she'd died and come back to life as a zombie, but that didn't mean Midnight had to point it out or anything. Rude.

Cementoss and Power Loader both came in a moment later, with Vlad King and Toshinori right behind them, and the staff began talking amongst themselves quietly, waiting for the principal to arrive so they could begin. Hina opted to quietly lay her head on the desk and wait for the meeting to start, too tired to socialize and feeling a deeper sense of trepidation considering what she'd have to report to the other teachers during the meeting.

The small mouse-dog principal entered the conference room and hopped into his chair at the end of the U-shaped table. He placed a folder in front of him and clasped his paws together. "Everyone, please have a seat. Let us begin the meeting."

The room quieted down and seats were suddenly occupied, all eyes on the small creature they were employed to. He opened his folder and skimmed over one of the papers. "As everyone is aware, we have our Sports Festival up and coming this next month. It would be wishful thinking to assume that the student body hasn't heard the public's encertainty about us hosting the event, despite the attack on USJ, so please handle their questions or concerns as they arise."

"All of them appear to be excited for the opportunity to display their progress. I have yet to hear of any doubts." Aizawa reported of class 1-A in a muffled manner.

Vlad King nodded. "The same goes for class 1-B. They seem disinterested in what the public has to say about it."

Nezu smiled happily. "All the better for them to remain undistracted. It's an essential time for all of the students, of course, so I'd like for all of you to focus your lessons on preparing the students for the event as best you can with your course material.

"If possible," he continued, looking around at all of them, "please finish up your current lesson plans within the next few days and let us formulate our strategy for the next two weeks in particular to most benefit the students for the festival."

Cementoss spoke up then. "Would you like a report on this month's final subjects?"

The dog-bear nodded pleasantly. "If you would. I'd like to know where we currently stand with all of our classes and what the last few days of the month will look like."

Hina sighed internally, knowing it had been wishful thinking to hope that he'd instruct them all to toss aside their current curriculum to focus on more festival-oriented stuff immediately. Or even skip this part of their usual meetings. It wouldn't have been responsible and nonsensical. She really didn't want to have to read aloud what was in her folder, though...

The modern literature teacher explained how they were in the final stages of analyzing the book they'd been reading, and would move on to 'Theories For the Modern Hero.' Hina wasn't sure what sort of content it contained, as she'd never read it, but it sounded interesting. She quietly wrote the book title on the top of her folder, wanting to look at it for herself later.

All Might followed up by saying that the class had finished their team assessments, and would be moving forward with further competitive exercises to bolster the importance of speed in their rescues. It would focus on showing them just how little time they had when in an actual crisis situation, and to train them on how to prioritize needs in the heat of the moment. Nezu nodded, thanking them both before moving on.

Hina stewed in her seat, watching as he went one by one down the table, inquiring as to what the students will be working on. She wrote everything down to stay in the loop, dreading when all eyes would be on her.

_You're an adult, act like it. It's not like the rest of them are going to just bust out laughing at you or anything. Right? Pull yourself together, Hina!_

"Scarlet Seer." Nezu said, and she looked the principal's way. "What will be your course's focus for the last few days of the month?"

Steeling her nerves, because she was a god damn adult with a job to do, mind you, Hina opened her folder and stared at the words she'd had to write there with a heavy sigh.

"This year, the Department of Education decided to require the inclusion of an additional..._topic_...to the Life Skills program which had been excluded up to this point, in response to an unusual rise in...'heroes with perverse tendencies.'" She air quoted, reading directly from what the city had forwarded to her and all of the other Life Skills teachers in the district.

Swallowing past the discomfort and collecting herself as best she could, she looked back up to the principal. He already knew this information the moment they had changed the policy a few weeks before, and she had a feeling this was just his sadistic nature showing through. "I'll be covering sex ed with all of the classes the rest of the week, then begin lessons on-"

"Pff..." Present Mic wasn't very successful in holding back his sudden choke of laughter, which only set Midnight to unabashedly grinning like a hyena. Mic tried hiding his amused smirk behind his directional speaker, but it was all too obvious to everyone in the room. Hina's eye twitched, but she didn't look at the two of them, trying to maintain her dignity without turning just as red as her hair. No need to have more than one reason to be called 'Scarlet.'

She cleared her throat. "-on conducting themselves properly-"

Present Mic's and Midnight's continued amusement and snickering caused Ectoplasm to cough 'covertly,' trying his hardest not to join in at the expense of Hina's comfort. Toshinori simply looked at her sympathetically, no doubt relieved he wasn't the one conducting that particular lesson.

"-in front of the pro heroes and general public." The redhead finished through her teeth. The rest of the teachers were doing a remarkable job of not showing any sort of outward reaction, though a few were shifting uncomfortably in their seats at the very mention of the subject. Obviously no one envied her job right now.

There was a slight pause, before Nezu placed a paw on his chin thoughtfully. "I see. Since this is such a new addition and something the school hasn't handled before, could you please break down the curriculum for us all in more detail?"

His question had sounded so innocent. So genuine. He even had the audacity to accompany it with his cute little fucking smile that promised nothing untoward. Nezu had never targeted her like this, and she wondered what sort of bad karma had come her way to deserve this. Hina winced at him painfully as Present Mic, Midnight, and Ectoplasm simply couldn't hold their laughter in any longer, bursting from the sheer hilarity in their respective places.

Snipe and Vlad King tried to get everyone back on track but the damage was done. The three laughing teachers were too far gone to calm down now, and the meeting had degraded to be a circus show more than anything. Nezu must have realized this too, as he simply continued to sip tea and watch as the teachers tried to sort themselves out without intervening to get their discussion back on track.

Trying to avoid everyone else's attention, Hina sunk deeper in her seat, trying her best to hide behind her lesson plan folder and hoped the ground would just open up and swallow her whole.

* * *

On his way back to his own classroom, Aizawa passed by Hina's door and saw her pacing the inside of the room, nervously staring at the lesson plan for her day while chewing on the end of a pencil. He debated just leaving her to her own devices, but felt bad about the whole meeting fiasco from earlier that morning. She'd walked out early after Nezu finally granted her mercy, but the fitful laughter from their more childish coworkers provided the background noise for her retreat.

He ducked inside, leaning against the doorframe. "It's not a life or death situation, Scarlet." He muttered, bemused by the way she spun in place and ran her fingers through her hair. She let out a dejected sigh.

"Isn't it though?" She tossed her lesson plan on the desk and sat in her chair, facing him. "These are going to be the worst three days of my life."

"You're being dramatic." He shrugged, ignoring the way his elbow stung something particularly fierce at the movement. Thankfully the bandages his his wince of pain. "I don't envy you, honestly, but it's your job to prepare them for the future."

"I know that...I just...am _not_ looking forward to telling these high schoolers the ins and outs of their bodies. Especially your class." She shivered uncomfortably. "Bakugo might just glare a hole through my head as a defense mechanism and Mineta will probably explode the minute I first utter the word 'sex.'"

Her statement caught him off surprise and he huffed out a laugh. She smiled as a result, chuckling under her breath too. Good. She was calming down.

"Treat them like adults and they should fall in line. It may be uncomfortable but, if they're smart, they'll still value the information you have to share." He figured with a shake of his head. "I'm sure you'll find a way to persevere."

Aizawa had faith. She was an excellent teacher that cared about her students' wellbeing and knew how to connect with them. She'd figure out how to get her lesson across without problem, but he sure was glad that he wasn't the one who had to talk about that stuff with his students.

"Thank, Mummy Man." She said, grinning at him. "You should probably get going if you don't want to be late for your own class. Unless you want to stay here and help me demonstrate the course material?"

He was already out the door before she could finish asking.

* * *

"Morning...class." Hina greeted the general course students awkwardly, standing in front of her desk to face them all. None of them were paying her any attention, though, staring at the chalk-written words of 'Sex Ed' on the board behind her. She scratched the back of her neck timidly. "I would ask you about your evening last night, but we unfortunately have a lot of material to cover today. As you can see, we have a different sort of lesson on the docket. It's uh..."

A student suddenly raised his hand high in the air, a petrified look on his face. "H-Hitagawa Sensei? May I be excused?"

She frowned. "What for?"

"I've suddenly become extremely sick and must go home." He explained, not looking sick at all but just fearful of the subject at hand. "For my health and safety, I think it would be best for me to leave."

Several other hands joined his, all looking just as eager to take the same suggestion. If they were trying to be subtle, they'd failed miserably. She knew they wouldn't exactly like the subject, but she really didn't expect them to try opting out of it entirely.

_Treat them like adults_, she reminded herself, hearing Aizawa's words in her head. The teacher sighed, wandering over to the classroom door and audibly locking it so they all could hear.

"This is a required lesson given to me by the Department of Education, and at the end of the three-day course, you are all required to pass off a comprehension test. Skipping any part of the lecture today, tomorrow, or the next day will force me to have to keep you back after school for a one-on-one tutoring session so you can pass it off. With that in mind, is there anyone who still wants to leave?"

All hands immediately shot down. As expected. Though the thought of having to listen to all of this as a class was uncomfortable, it would be even more so if her sole attention was on them in a tutoring lesson. They all seemed to come to that same conclusion and resigned themselves to the very awkward discussion they were about to have. Hina nodded, plastering on a smile to hopefully dispel some of the awkwardness.

_So far, so good._

* * *

By third period, Hina had her lesson down to an exact science, and after all of the awkwardness had passed on her part, she actually started to enjoy watching the thunderstruck faces of the students as soon as they realized what they were in for that day. Maybe Nezu wasn't so wrong for having a sadistic side to him. She could sort of get on board with that line of thinking.

The students of class 1-A filtered into the Life Skills classroom with unease after their lunch time, noticing Hina sitting back in her desk chair at the front, an easy smirk in place with her feet up on the desk crossed at the ankles. For once, the projector screen was down, covering the chalkboard. They all took their seats, wondering why she was composed in such a strange way. They'd never seen her so...predatory. What had happened to the kind-hearted Hitagawa Sensei they'd all come to know? She laughed in her head at the thought.

The bell rang and everyone sat ready to learn for the day. She didn't move from her spot, which was strange. Normally she liked to address them while standing in front of her desk in a professional and calm manner. Another tick on the 'things that didn't seem like Hitagawa Sensei' list.

"Welcome class." She greeted cheerily, twirling a yardstick around with just her fingers. "I assume you all had a good lunch?"

They nodded, confused.

"Is...something wrong, Hitagawa Sensei?" Kaminari asked, voicing what they all were wondering. "You seem...different."

"Different how?" She inquired, focusing on him.

"Like..." He struggled to find the word for it. "Like you've got something planned that none of us are going to like. Midnight or Eraserhead give off that same feeling sometimes."

The rest of the class nodded their agreement, and she smiled wider. Using the yardstick to reach over to the rung at the bottom of the projector screen, she yanked it down, allowing the screen to roll back up and snap into it's holder with a loud clank.

"An excellent observation, Kaminari!" She cried with a wicked smile. Hina savored the moment the students comprehended the words 'Sex Ed' that she'd written on the chalkboard behind the projector. It was an interesting study in the many ways the facial expression could change, all within the blink of an eye. Her mind flitted across the 20 students, relishing their reactions with blatant joy.

Iida, Momo, and Todoroki were all forcing a neutral expression, but internally were sweating bullets. Bakugo just looked genuinely upset and angry. Uraraka and Ashido both were sporting very vibrant shades of red on their face from embarrassment, staring at the board in utter panic. For the gravity student, however, all Hina could hear in her head was girlish screaming.

Kaminari had opted to enter 'stupid-mode,' as his classmates had so dubbed it. Kirishima was realizing that his quirk had a very obvious innuendo, asking himself why he hadn't ever thought of it before, but with an outwardly blank expression and wide eyes.

Asui seemed generally unaffected due to the nature of her quirk, though her cheeks were colored a bright pink. Koda was hiding behind his hands and Shoji only stared at the board with wide eyes. Midoriya slowly sank into his seat, raising his notebook to cover his face. He was desperately trying to come up with a way to get away from this place.

But her favorite reaction of all had to be Mineta, who had immediately exploded into a nosebleed the moment he'd read the words. His eyes had taken on the appearance of stars and he had practically fallen unconscious in his seat a moment afterwards. Drool spilled from his mouth.

"Aoyama," she requested sweetly, turning to the one student who didn't appear affected in the slightest, "will you please bring Mineta to Recovery Girl to make sure he hasn't lost too much blood?"

"Of course, Hitagawa Sensei!" He cried, grabbing Mineta's arm and dragging him out the door of the classroom. It shut with a snap and she directed her anticipatory smile to the remaining students.

"Notebooks out, be prepared to take notes. There are some diagrams or charts I expect you to notate. We have a lot of information to cover and I expect you all to act like adults about this. I won't slow down or answer things I deem inappropriate. Do I make myself clear?"

The dramatic personality shift had taken them by such surprise they all responded in unison. "Hai!"

"Very good. Now, to begin..." She clicked on the first slide given to her by the Department of Education, using her yardstick to point to certain things she referred to. As she spoke about the information, she was glad to see the students had gotten over their initial fear of the awkward topic, and were studiously writing down everything she said.

Thanks to Aizawa, she hadn't died of sheer embarrassment after all. She'd have to buy him a drink later as thanks.

* * *

Hina opened her eyes, finding herself on the Dagobah Municipal Beach Park pier. A sapphire orb of light floated in front of her, glowing with vibrant light. The very center of her mind.

Each person had a different 'center;' in the way it looked, felt, and organized, but most she'd come across had the same structure. Perhaps it was simply her interpretation of it, but the psyche usually constructed itself as a floating orb of light, packed full of memories and emotions and everything that made a person who they were. She'd only seen a few, never having delved deep enough into a person's mind to see too many of them, but her in particular was one she been frequenting more often as of late.

She wasn't sure why her head chose to manifest into a scene by the beach, as it had never represented anything particularly important or impactful to her, but she had always enjoyed the sound of the ocean as it lapped against the shore. Feeling the mentally fabricated wind whip at her hair, she stood and walked over to the opposite end of the pier. Her bare feet pressed dully into the salty wood with each step, before coming to a stop in front of a large, stone wall that dissected the sand.

It was too tall to see the top, reaching the very edge of her mind, wherever it may lay, in all directions. Her protection against any sort of mental attack or intrusion from another mind-based quirk user.

She ran her hand along the stone, feeling bits of the mortar crumbled in her fingers. At the base of the wall, particles of stone dust and bits of stone that had fallen off over the years lay useless in the sand. The wall was still sturdy overall, but years without maintenance or attention had certainly taken it's toll. It was growing weaker.

Hina sighed, stepped away from it to return to the beach. It would take a lot of concentration and lots of energy to begin the repair process, neither of which she had at the moment. Her long day at work had taken a lot out of her, and she wanted to do nothing else but sleep.

Pulling back her quirk from her own consciousness, Hina blinked and saw the end of the bed she sat on. A glance at the clock confirmed it was well past time she go to sleep. Tomorrow would be just as taxing as today had been, and she needed all the rest she could get.

* * *

A/N- I hope Hina's abilities don't feel too out of place with the Hero Academia universe. I wasn't sure if they would come across as too...I don't know...fantasy-like or just not in the general these of the universe it has. This was more just a representation of what the inside of her mind is like when she looks into her own mind. Let me know what you think so far, and if you enjoyed!


	10. Chapter 10

A/N- More lessons, which hopefully aren't all that boring. Hina likes being a teacher. I can't just exclude her interactions with the students, you know!

Onwards!

* * *

"Like any interaction with another human," Hina said, gesturing to herself, then out at the class, "first impressions with the people watching the festival are crucial. Especially when there are so many of you hoping to shine, there will be many others to focus their attention on. The first 7 seconds are all you have before someone's made an opinion about you."

"Only 7 seconds?" Midoriya asked, completely surprised. "You can't even say a proper hello in that time."

"Correct. So, following that," her eyes swept around the room, "what might they be making those opinions on, if not what you say to them?"

"Physical appearance, of course." Todoroki answered.

"That is one of them, yes." Hina pointed to Hagakure, who's sleeve was lifted in the air.

"Facial expression is a big one!"

The redhead smiled, somewhat amused by the irony, but nodded. "Definitely."

No other hands raised, and she tilted her head. "Anyone else have an idea? No? Ok, let's go over everything you may have to think about before walking out onto the sports field."

The words 'Physical Appearance' and 'Facial Expression' were written at the top of the board, along with 'Body Language.' She turned and spoke to the class again. "There are three main things a person will base their immediate opinion of you on, taking into account you haven't spoken a word to them yet. "Outward appearance, facial expression, and your body language, with each getting progressively more difficult to consciously control."

She turned back to the board and began drawing small lines below each category, branching them out a few different directions. "There are many factors to each of them that, as a whole, create a positive or negative impression on the person you're associating with. For example, physical appearance can mean your clothing," she wrote that down under one of the branching lines, before going to the next, "hairstyle, cleanliness, body odor, or even something as superficial as height and weight. For the most part, you are in total control of how you appear to other people. You can dye your hair, put on makeup, wear new clothes, that sort of thing, to improve your chanves of a good first impression."

Hina gave them another few seconds to finish writing on their papers, before going onto the next. "Facial expression is particularly important. Amount of eye contact, whether or not your smiling, eyebrow position, etcetera. While you have a fair amount of control over your expressions, sometimes you may not realize you're pulling a strange face at someone. Without a mirror handy, it can be tricky.

"Body language," she began on the third category after another small pause to allow them to catch up, "is perhaps the most difficult to consciously control. It also has the majority of the factors involved that contribute to it's category. "Arm position, like being crossed or extended. Is your hip cocked? Rigid? Are you faced away from them or towards them? Do you keep your head high with confidence, or down to try hiding away? Are you relaxed or tense? Too close? Too far away?"

Finished filling out the branching lines from below the three categories, she put down her chalk and waited until the pencils stopping scribbling down notes. She returned to in front of her desk. "Most of the time, our body react to things on their own. For example..."

_"Boo!"_

She shouted into all of their minds, and they startled in place, not having anticipated her doing so. "Just now, everyone jumped in place. It's the body's natural reaction to being startled or scared. The same goes for our innate reaction to being near other people. If you're socially anxious, you may try to shrink into yourself and take up as little space as you can to ward off people talking to you."

Hina demonstrated by stuffing her hands in her pockets and slouching a little.

"You look like Aizawa Sensei!" Ashido exclaimed, and the redhead only laughed.

"On the other hand, outgoing and social people like to make their presence known and maintain a friendly and welcoming posture to encourage interaction." She said, switching her posture to lean back a bit and tilt her head to the side, shoulders back a bit to make her face the focal point.

"Any questions so far?" She asked, and Uraraka raised her hand.

"Do pro heroes look for anything specific from students in the sports festival? Is there a certain way to act that will get us noticed by more pros?"

"A good question." She said, noticing that many of the students were curious as to the answer themselves. It must have been on a lot of their minds. "And unfortunately my answer is that it varies widely."

She hopped up onto her desk and sat on the edge, crossing her legs at the ankles. "Some heroes look for candidates that they feel will mesh well with their agency. Others like to recruit based on pure power, or personality, or in some cases even something as superficial as the way you look." She finished up with a shrug. "All pro heroes are different and choose to focus on different aspect of being a hero. That's the long and short of it."

"Well, that doesn't really tell us much..." Bakugo grumped.

Hina smiled. "I will leave you with this piece of advice, which may help a little. Compose yourselves as the heroes you want to see yourselves become, and like-minded pros who will be the best suited to help you get there will definitely notice. Act with the future in mind."

The redhead glanced at the clock and noticed that they still had several minutes before the end of class. "Well, it looks like we finished a little early. Are there any questions that just you're dying to ask?"

Sero raised his hand. "Hitagawa Sensei, how did you do at your sports festival?"

Hmm, not the question she'd been expecting, but now that it was out there, all of the students were seemingly curious as well. She smiled. "I did not attend UA, so I didn't participate in a festival like you will."

They seemed disappointed by that, but she raised a finger. "We _did_ have a similar event, but it was school exclusive. Just parents of the students were allowed to attend and watch their childrens' progress. A pretty small thing. And truthfully I didn't do all that great."

"What? Couldn't you have just read everyone's mind to know what they were doing?" Jiro asked, a little surprised by her admission.

Hina shrugged ruefully. "I tried, but knowing what someone's thinking will only get you so far. Reacting to what they're about to do is much more difficult. My speed wasn't what it is now."

Mineta spoke up now, interested. "What events did you have?"

She ticked out on her fingers. "The first one was navigating a maze, which I only barely got out of within the time limit. The second was a baton race. That was probably my best event, since I was fast, but the mock battles were where I failed. I was eliminated in my first battle."

"Who did you face?"

"He's a pro hero, now. He goes by Kamui Woods. Maybe you've heard of him?" She grinned, and the class looked ready to burst at the seams. She only laughed. "He made quick work of me with his wood abilities. I was out of the match in about 10 seconds. Pretty embarrassing, to be honest."

Just then, the bell rang, and despite having so much more to ask of her, she sprang up from her desks and clapped her hands together once. "Go on, now! Off to your next class! The next time I see you will be after the tournament, so please do you best! I look forward to seeing you all in action."

The students reluctantly packed up their backs and left to go to wherever they went next. Hina circled around to the other side of her desk as they eventually all left, grabbing her mug of tea to refill it from the teacher's lounge.

* * *

The redhead walked in to several teachers huddled around Present Mic, who was reading a newspaper. She stopped just inside the doorway and they all looked up.

"Hina!" Mic called out to her, and she held up a peace sign. Snipe and Cementoss straightened and stepped away from Mic. Not having noticed him there until now, Aizawa turned in his place on the couch opposite them.

"Yo. What're you all looking at? Did something happen?" She hadn't checked her phone for news that day, so she hoped nothing awful had occurred since yesterday. Wandering over to the tea pot, she began heating up the water for her tea.

"Some heroes captured two of the prison escapees last night." Cemetoss said, and she perked up at the news, looking over to them. "Kamui Woods and Edgeshot found Katakura Reiji and Sutsu Hajime last night in their hideout."

Hina's enthusiasm stalled and she turned back around. "Ah. That's great to hear." Was her lackluster reply.

She supposed it would have been asking too much for someone else to have found Daichi already. He was an intelligent and persistent man. He wouldn't be caught so easily, and she worried for any hero who may end up finding him first, now that she gave it thought.

"Your brother's still out there, isn't he?" Snipe asked, but Hina didn't turn to acknowledge his question. Instead, her eyes stared at the tea pot as it heated. She hoped her discomfort didn't show through too much in the muscle on her back.

"Yeah..." Was all she said.

"How are you, anyway? It can't be easy, having him on the loose like this." He continued, and she shook her head.

"I'm fine. Really." She added when there was a long pause afterwards, finally turning to regard her fellow teachers. They all looked at her with pity. "I'm just...disappointed that it's come to this. It was hard enough bringing him in the first time, and now after a few years of sitting in prison to stew on the fact that his own sister had him arrested, I'm sure he's full of rage right now."

"He may try to target you first, then." Cementoss concluded based on what she'd said.

"Yeah, Hina, so no going out by yourself until he's back in prison." Present Mic pointed at her with a worried frown, an expression not often seen on the voice hero's face. "We don't need another teacher looking like Eraser over here."

Mic gestured to the heavily bandaged Aizawa, who only stared at his friend.

"I know." She said with a sigh, pulling the tea pot away from the heat and pouring herself a cup. She filled it up to nearly the brim of the mug before setting it back down. "My biggest fear would be him targeting the students to get to me. If Tomura could manage to bypass the UA barrier, I'm afraid Daichi could as well."

"As their teachers, we wouldn't allow that to happen." Aizawa said suddenly, pinning her with a hard stare. Even with the bandages covering most of his face, she could tell he was deadly serious. "Something like the USJ incident will not happen again."

Hina nodded, knowing that he believed every word he said, but unsure if she could truly make herself believe them too. When it came to sheer power, her ability was nothing compared to the other people on staff. In a one-on-one fight, she wasn't confident her skills would match her brother, who'd always been the more powerful telepath. She didn't want to talk about Daichi anymore, or the things he could possibly do should he discover where she was. Worrying about it wasn't helping any, and she was tired of the others staring at her with pity.

Taking her tea with her, she hurried out the door before they could ask any more questions of her.

* * *

Slugger ran. His feet carried him through the dark forest as fast as they possibly could, nearly tripping up on twigs and small rocks jutting out of the earth below, which up until five minutes ago had been the solid concrete of Musutafu City's sidewalks. Panting heavily, he continued on, fearing for his life.

He'd never encountered a villain with such vast power. The ability to create a forest in the middle of a city? And in the blink of an eye, too! What kind of guy could do that? What quirk even was this? This was maddening, but he had to find a way out and get reinforcements, before-

There! Grabbing his bat, he swung towards the dark shadow that began closing in on him from his left, and the mist dissipated in a swirl as the wooden weapon swiped through it, just as the other apparitions had done.

_"Where's Scarlet Seer?"_ A cold, angry voice demanded again. It felt as though it dug into his brain. No matter how far he ran, it never seemed to grow any further away, always just as loud as the time before it. Echoing everywhere around him in the darkness...

"Tch..." Slugger turned in place and began running again, his fear slowly overtaking him. He didn't like the dark. He never had. It was one of those childhood fears that he never could shake off entirely, and the sense of dread just continued washing over him with each step. If nothing was done, he was afraid he'd be paralyzed with fear before too long. He had to get out of there.

His bat was no use, other than keeping the phantom things at bay, but the rugged path he took didn't seem to be going anywhere at all. The trees were dense, leaving no room to truly see through any of the trunk to try finding another path out, as if it were leading him further in to it's depths, where he'd never been seen again-

_"Where is Scarlet Seer!?"_

The voice was angrier now, and Slugger whimpered out of pure instinct, his heart hammering in his chest. The forest seemed to be closing in on him from all sides, and the feeling of claustrophobia became nearly unbearable.

The demonic roar of something up ahead made him gasp, and his foot caught against a branch that was sticking into the pathway, tripping him and causing him to crumple to the ground in a heap. The demonic roar sounded again, reverberating the trunks of the trees. He curled up, fear gripping him tight and refusing to let go, the pressure in his head mounting.

"I don't know...I don't know!" He cried out with fright, just wanting it all to go away. He didn't even know who this Scarlet Seer person was! How was he supposed to know where to find them?

The darkness took form beside him, standing over him. Looking down with hateful, red eyes, the only source of color or light within the being's form. It crouched down, extending a hand towards Slugger's chest, and he tried scrambling away but he couldn't seem to find purchase on the dirt around him.

The black, inky hand grasped his hero costume, dragging him closer to where it's face would be. Closer to those glowing, red eyes. For as terrifying as they were, he couldn't seem to look away. They bore deep into him, looking past his eyes into his very soul, almost.

_"Show me what you know."_

Slugger opened his mouth to deny knowing anything, but a pressure like he'd never known before hit his skull, and he was unable to speak. The pain was indescribable, as even describing it at that moment was too much mental function to even attempt. He felt bare, vulnerable, and completely at this thing's mercy.

However there was no mercy here. His mouth open in a silent scream, Slugger's body spasmed as his mind was figuratively broken apart and shredded, until he went still and nothing at all mattered anymore.

* * *

He stood over the orange-haired hero in disappointment. Slugger had turned out to be useless, never having even heard of Scarlet Seer before, let alone know where she was. But in truth, his foray into the man's mind hadn't been all bad. It had been some time since Daichi had exercised his quirk like this, and it felt good to stretch those long-disused mental muscles. Exploiting the man's fears to terrorize him a little had been almost a joy, a cakewalk. Watching him basically implode from the inside had even brought an amused smile to his face.

He looked up at the sky, still bright and blue with the mid-day sun. He didn't like having to work this hard just to find that bitch, but he was a patient man. Getting caught now would ruin everything, and if he had to pry open a few more heroes to get the information he needed, so be it.

Stepping over the unresponsive hero, Daichi walked out onto the street from the hidden-away alley they'd been standing in, blending in with the crowd seamlessly.

* * *

A/N- Our first look at Daichi. Hopefully he seems...villainous, heh. I wonder if that hero is ok? If you haven't already, please consider leaving a review to let me know what you think of the story so far! Feedback is super important to me, pretty much the main reason I write for you, is the interaction with the audience. :)


	11. Chapter 11

A/N- My apologies for the few-day delay in getting this chapter out. I was busy trying to earn extra income over the weekend and didn't have time to write. Anyway, back to the story at hand! I've come to you with a longer chapter as compensation for my absence!

**Tinsela-** I'm glad you're enjoying it, and that it's an entertaining read. I hope you stick around for the rest of the story too!

Onwards!

* * *

"Hmm...They look a little nervous." Hina said, watching the students enter the field from the teacher's box of the stadium up above. The crowd roared as the now practically infamous class 1-A stepped into view, making their way over to the middle of the field where Midnight had her judge's stage set up. A big, 4-sided screen above the stadium had a close-up view of the students' faces, which for the most part were frozen in expressions of sudden realization that they'd have to compete in front of such a massive crowd.

"It's their first time in the spotlight of the public like this. Of course they would be. Young Bakugo seems just fine, though." Toshinori remarked from his seat, pointing to the spiky-haired blonde in particular, who was just eating up the attention with a grin, head held high for all to see his confidence and swagger.

The redhead chuckled, unsurprised by this. "Well, at least he's taking my advice to heart." She said.

_Show them the hero you want to be,_ she thought proudly.

Hina was tempted to extend her quirk to know exactly what they were thinking, but she eventually concluded that it would be best to leave them be. They needed all the focus they had on the task at hand, and some may be more prone to feel if she was in their head than others.

Present Mic's enthusiastic announcer's voice boomed over the crowd of baying people, announcing each class as they followed after the well-known hero course. Each class reacted much the same way as class 1-A did, intimidated by the number of people looking down at them from the stands, though some seemed perfectly fine to be in the limelight. The pressure had suddenly amplified.

She could spot Monoma and Kendo from class 1-B, and several groups back Shinso from the general course. His wild hair made him stand out from those around him. He seemed unperturbed by the crowd, hands stuffed in his pockets as he walked. The posture reminded her very much of a certain teacher.

She smiled, hoping he'd do well and go far in the sports festival. If he wanted to attain his goal of being transferred into the hero course, he'd need to prove himself on a grand scale. This was exactly the sort of environment he needed to do so on. Once all of the students had gathered in front of Midnight's stage, she began explaining the rules of the festival to the students.

The door behind Toshinori and Hina opened. Snipe and Ectoplasm entered, taking seats in the empty chairs available to watch the festival unfold below. Hina and Toshinori bid their greetings to them.

"Did we miss anything?" Ectoplasm asked, but Toshinori shook his head. "They're just about to begin the first event."

Snipe looked over at Hina in slight confusion. "I thought you wanted to be part of the security detail for the stadium? Did you change your mind?" He questioned.

She looked back towards the field with a small frown. "Nezu decided it was safer in here."

Of course, she hadn't been very happy with the principal's decision to deny her request to help protect the stadium just in case something were to occur. Despite the public's concerns regarding even hosting the event, many heroes from around the city had been asked to assist in watching over the outer grounds for any villainous activity. Seeing a chance to begin proving herself useful in the protection of her students, she'd approached Nezu with the idea of joining the detail.

He had openly rejected her statement, saying that on the contrary, having her walking around in the open, even if in a large crowd of people, might not only increase the risk that she run into her brother but openly made her and anyone else near her a target. She'd be more of a liability by putting herself in the open like that than actually being of assistance. And, as was Nezu's way, he didn't mince words.

His blunt statement had certainly disheartened her, and she'd retreated back to the teacher's box in dismay. The redhead couldn't be sure whether the principal just didn't trust in her ability to protect herself or others around her, or if his only qualm was the recent USJ attack making the stakes all the higher. She hadn't been brave enough to ask him.

Toshinori had arrived to the teacher's box not long after, but she'd made herself appear outwardly just fine once he'd entered the room, not wanting him to be concerned about what she felt. If there was a silver lining in her rejection, she could at least watch the festival unhindered and see the progress of her beloved students. Small victories...

The other teachers sensed her sudden displeasure and decided not to touch on the subject further, turning their attention back to the event. Midnight's board had selected an obstacle course as the first event, and all of the students had moved over back towards the entrance to wait for the start signal. The rest of the staff filtered into the room and took their seats. Cementoss was the only other teacher not present, as he would be assisting in the one-on-one battle events towards the end of the day.

A horn blared out as the light turned green above the doorway, causing the students to all rush for the narrow entrance. Most got tripped up inside the passage itself, the crowd all vying to get to the front all at once

_"Okay, here's the play by play!"_ Present Mic's voice rang out, pump up to get the event truly started. _"Are you ready to do the commentary, Mummy Man?"_

_"You're the one who forced me to come."_ Was Aizawa's even reply, and Hina smiled. Roped into his antics once more. Poor Aizawa couldn't catch a break. He didn't sound too thrilled to be there, especially considering he was still healing from his injuries and didn't like being in the spotlight anyway. Mic had really brought him out of his comfort zone this time.

Immediately, there were those that pulled away from the rest, exiting the passage well in advance of their fellow students. She was unsurprised to see Todoroki and Bakugo among them, but even Midoriya managed to get himself past the pushing crowd of bodies just moments later.

"All of class 1-A avoided Todoroki's ice." Snipe mentioned. "They must have predicted he'd use it to break away from the pack early on."

"This is when knowing your classmates closely can be a downside. When you're pitted against those you've trained exclusively with, suddenly your strengths don't give you much of an edge." Vlad King added with a nod.

The students came upon their first obstacle; a handful of giant robots the school had used for the entrance exam. They blocked any further progression unless they figured out how to defeat them or get around them. It took some time, but they began figuring out how to use their individual quirks to overcome them, and the race quickly got back on track.

Toshinori let out a quiet sigh of relief, and a small smile touched his face. Hina watched him as Midoriya grabbed a piece of metal off the ground, using it to destroy one of the robots with ease, before running off towards the next portion of the race, behind only Bakugo and Todoroki. Missing was the tell-tale glowing strands of power through his body. He hadn't used his quirk.

"Is Midoriya still having trouble using his quirk without damaging himself?" Hina asked Toshinori suddenly, having noticed that the green-haired boy hadn't used his quirk to gain an upper hand, and the blonde hero turned to her in surprise. The look on his face made it seem like he didn't know why she was asking him, of all people, mixed with some...fear? To alleviate his confusion, she added. "I figured you'd have the best gauge of it, since they use their quirk most often in your class lessons."

"Ah," He nodded, her explanation making sense, and he relaxed a bit, "he hasn't quite managed to control it, but he's certainly made progress from day one. I'm sure he'll find a way around that particular setback today."

Hina smiled, staring at his profile. "You really have that much faith in him, don't you?"

"I do." He said, his gaze fixed on the boy he thought held such promise. "Young Midoriya knows this event is especially important. He will rise to the occasion."

Toshinori didn't elaborate further, and the redhead directed her attention back to the event, curious as to what the outcome would be. Part of her wanted to read Toshinori's mind to really understand just how much the boy meant to him-there was an obvious connection between the two that neither had gone into detail with-but she figured it would be rude of her to intrude on his mind like that.

Besides, she had a feeling the answer wasn't something she was supposed to know.

* * *

The teachers all watched as the cavalry battle ensued with most teams, predictably, going after Midoriya and his 10 million point headband right off the bat. They managed to get away the first time around, taking advantage of Mei's support items, but there was still a long while to go, and things weren't over yet.

"They're in for a tough 15 minutes." Ectoplasm muttered. Hina agreed, but stayed quiet, too focused on the event to respond.

"I'm a little surprised by the team formations." Thirteen pointed out from inside her helmet. "I thought for sure Midoriya, Iida, and Uraraka would certainly try to team up together. They seemed such close friends at USJ. But they included a support student rather than Iida."

"They've figured out that this isn't a game." Vlad King stated seriously, carefully watching his own students in class 1-B as they formulated what their first step should be. "You can't win by just teaming up with the people you get along with most. You win by having a solid strategy, creating a team to suit your needs."

"He's covered all his bases. Mobility, attack power, and support all in one unit." Snipe said, and that was that. Whether his smart thinking paid off would be another matter altogether. And they'd just have to wait and see if it did.

"Your students have yet to really display their quirks' capabilities, Vlad King." Hina pointed out suddenly, realizing that most of class 1-B had yet to really show themselves off yet. She'd been expecting at least a few to make it into higher ranks in the obstacle course. She gave him a smile when he looked at her. "They're up to something, aren't they?"

"Hmph." His mouth twitched with a grin, turning back to the field. "They're determined not to be outshone by class 1-A again. Showing all your cards right from the start has some disadvantages, you know."

So saying, Monoma swiped his second headband from an unsuspecting team, tying it around his neck triumphantly. Ibara's vines were working to great effect, as well, snagging them some extra points from Mineta despite Shoji's excellent defense of him.

"Well, their plan is paying off in dividends." She said, hoping that his success so far wouldn't completely inflate Monoma's head. "The other teams are too focused on Midoriya's high point value to see that they're being poached from behind. Very clever."

She didn't understand why the intelligent 1-B student was so competitive with class 1-A, but at least Kendo was around to keep him in check most of the time. He was very supportive and encouraging in class, showing no sign of his arrogant and snobbish habit of taunting the other hero course students, but the last thing she wanted was that attitude to bleed over into her time with them in class just because he succeeded in knocking Aizawa's students down a few pegs.

Hina found herself bouncing between teams, lingering on a few for a few seconds before flicking to the next. There was so much going on at once, she wasn't sure who to keep her eye on consistently. They were all doing their best, and she smiled, seeing such determination on everyone's face.

* * *

By the time the festival's lunch break came around, Hina was starving. She nearly sprinted from her chair all the way down to the grounds around the stadium below to try to get a jump on the food stall lines that would inevitably spring up. She'd been looking forward to the takoyaki stall that she'd spotted on her way inside the stadium when the games first began. It was her favorite festival treat, and it had been some time since she'd enjoyed some. Just thinking about it made her ever more determined to get some before the lines became insanely long.

It was probably pretty comical of a sight; a pro hero trying her best not to appear to be in a rush, but definitely failing, in her pursuit of takoyaki. She slipped into the line of several people and breathed out a sigh of relief. At least she wouldn't miss out if they happened to run out. She'd been early enough to get a decent spot in line. She could smell the delicious scent of the small dumplings from her spot, and she salivated at the mouth. Her feet shifted in place, eager to get her hands on some.

After several minutes of waiting and with her food in hand, Hina walked back towards the way she'd come, looking for any drink stalls that caught her eye. She wasn't in the mood for anything particular, and simply eyed all the available options until something stood out. She munched happily on her food in the meantime, savoring each bite while she could.

Soon enough, her attention was more rapt on the many people and the general atmosphere of the stadium grounds. The sports festival was a highly looked-forward to day of the year in the city, and even people who didn't have kids in the school system enjoyed watching the event. It was quickly becoming something of a holiday for the city, as most businesses allowed their employees a day off to watch it, or at the very least allowed for them to spectate from their places of work on the broadcast.

Her thoughts were brought back to the present when she heard shrill laughter. Small children ran after each other along the pathway, holding small toys and UA merchandise. She stepped out of the way of a couple boys playing Hero and Villain, nearly running into her in their pursuit. Nezu had requested she try keeping her time outdoors to a minimum, so she drank up the atmosphere while she could, knowing it would be another year before she got to enjoy it to it's fullest again.

Further on in the crowd, a ridiculously tall and gravity-defying hairstyle bobbed its way along among the people. Hina smiled, quickening her steps and dodging people left and right to try catching up to her coworker.

"Mic!" She called, and the flashy announcer turned in place with his signature, casual smile. He held two boxes of onigiri in his hand, and a soft drink in the other.

"Yo, female listener-! Ah! Hina, it's you." He stopped mid-sentence, having originally mistaken her for a fan. He toned down his radio personality a little and gestured for her to walk with him. "How's security detail? Surely you're dying to know what the kids are up to, huh? Well, I suppose my brilliant commentary has kept you in the loop so far!"

"I haven't been patrolling." She admitted, her expression falling somewhat.

"Eh? Why not?" He asked, clearly confused. He'd heard her talk about it the day previously in the teacher's lounge.

"Nezu rejected my request to join security, so I've been in the teacher's box spectating." She took a solemn bite of her takoyaki, still a little sore about that. "He said I'd be more of a liability than of assistance."

"Ahh..." Mic mused understandingly, "it's about your brother, right?"

The red head nodded silently, still chewing her food. She noticed they were making their way back towards the stadium.

"Don't take it personally. I'm sure he's under a lot of pressure to make sure nothing goes wrong. The media would have a field day if something else were to happen today." He surmised with a shrug. "I'm not saying he's completely right, but I can see why he'd be cautious about it."

"I do too." Hina sighed, moving out of the way of a person who hadn't corrected their course to not collide with her. "Just doesn't mean I can't complain about it. Daichi seems to be wreaking havoc on my life without having to even be here. It's maddening."

Present Mic wrapped an arm around her shoulder, still holding the drink. "Well, don't worry too much about it. Chances are he'll be caught in some other hero's patrol soon enough and then things'll go back to normal."

"Yeah...somehow, I'm not too confident in that." She admitted, eating the last bite of her takoyaki and tossing the small box it came in in the nearest trash can. "He's smart and even more skilled using his quirk than me. If they underestimate him or go in without knowing his quirk, he'll never be caught, and people may get seriously hurt in the process."

Mic's smile faltered somewhat, growing serious. "Is he really that dangerous?"

"Yes." Was her simple reply, looking him in the eyes. "Honestly, I'm surprised he hasn't found me already, but it's only a matter of time."

The pair entered the stadium through the arched entryway, and Mic stopped just outside the door that would take him to the announcer's box. He eyed her curiously.

"Say he does find you..." Mic proposed, "What then? What is it he wants?"

Hina shook her head. "That's the thing, I don't know. I have no idea what he wants or why he became a villain in the first place. I don't know why he hates me, other than having him arrested, but even before then there was this...resentment in his eyes. The only thing I know for certain is that he doesn't hold back his quirk. And after all this time, I'm afraid of what he'll be able to do."

Her eyes flashed determination. "I can't let that get to me, though. Which is why I have to train harder. I have to extend the capability of my quirk as fast as possible. Because I've wasted so much time just slacking off, not improving myself. I'm tired of feeling like I can't protect my students. I'm tired of having to sit on the sidelines just telling myself I'm not combat-suited."

He stared at her for a moment before Mic smiled again, much more genuine than his boisterous and flamboyant ones. This was meant only to comfort a friend. "With an attitude like that, I know you'll do your best. But regardless, Eraser and I will be there if you need support. We wouldn't let one of our own be in danger like that."

His words were heartwarming, and she smiled. Then, looked back with a raised brow, glancing around. "Speaking of, where is Aizawa? Did he not get lunch?"

Mic lifted the onigiri boxes purposefully. "He's sleeping upstairs, but I'm getting him something anyway. Either his injuries are still fatiguing him and he's not admitting to it, or he's just not cut out for the announcer life like I am." His easy grin returned, now that the subject had shifted away from the serious stuff, and Hina returned his smile.

"Tell him I said hello, once he wakes up."

"Of course!" He said with a suggestive wink behind his sunglasses, somehow managing to point at her enthusiastically with both of his pointer fingers, despite having two boxes and a drink in his hands. "Enjoy the festival, and the commentary!"

He opened the door to the stairwell and slipped inside, and Hina turned towards the direction of the teacher's box entrance. The lunch break would last for another half hour, but she figured there was nothing left to do other than return to her seat. It should be empty during the break, and it would give her some time to work on her mental exercises anyway.

* * *

Hina gripped the armrest of her seat tightly, watching pensively as Uraraka dashed towards Bakugo with set determination, slowly forming a net of debris and boulders above their heads. To the crowd, it was clear what she was trying to do, but Bakugo's focus was solely on her, and not the floating debris above him.

_Come on...don't let him know what you're doing_, she thought to herself, wanting Uraraka to prove to everyone in the arena and herself that she was not beneath the likes of Bakugo. There was so much the young woman had going for her, and she was creative. Against such firepower as Bakugo's explosive quirk, she knew the girl was desperately forming a strategy to negate it, or possibly work around it. The flying debris was evidence of that.

And the part that most excited her was the fact that Bakugo seemed to be treating his opponent as an equal. He didn't go easy on Uraraka just because his quirk was subjectively 'more powerful.' He didn't flaunt his confidence with arrogance. He didn't look down or mock her for trying this hard to defeat him. No. He treated her as an actual threat that needed to be recognized.

In the commentator's box above her, Aizawa was saying much the same thing, calling out whoever had offhandedly remarked that Bakugo was toying with Uraraka. She didn't pay it much mind, watching the match intently, but subconsciously she completely agreed with what he was saying.

Uraraka must have decided that she'd collected enough debris with her quirk, and formed her 'release' symbol with her hands. The boulders came crashing down on top of the boy, and Hina leaned forward out of instinct, trying to see if it had won her the match.

She was slightly disappointed when the debris exploded in a cloud of red light and smoke, and Bakugo stood there with little damage. The young man was strong, and despite her best efforts, her plan hadn't succeeded after all. The knock-back from his quirk had downed the brunette, and she was struggling to move any further, the injuries he'd given to her previously starting to take their toll.

Despite the outcome, Hina still smiled when Midnight called the match in favor of Bakugo. Both students had performed very well. Bakugo had displayed his intelligence in not underestimating an opponent, even one he believed he could defeat. Uraraka had displayed her immense determination and strategy-planning around tough circumstances. Not to mention, courage in the face of someone subjectively stronger than her. The redhead thought to herself that despite one of them losing the match, they'd both won in favor of the observing heroes, who no doubt were keeping in mind anyone who displayed the skills and personality traits they were recruiting interns for.

* * *

The festival had come to a close with All Might handing out the medals to the victors. All three winners were comprised of students from class 1-A, a fact that Hina was a little surprised about. She'd been anticipating at least one or two from 1-B, but Aizawa's students were very capable. Considering they'd already experienced a battle with villains firsthand, she supposed this seemed like child's play to most of them.

The redhead waited in the teacher's box for most of the crowd to dissipate before attempting to leave the stadium. She was looking forward to having the rest of the day to herself. The teachers were granted leave since school would not be in session, though there was more work to do the following day, of course. But for one night, she could relax for awhile and continue training her own mental capabilities in private. Her talk with Mic had only emphasized her own desperation to strengthen her quirk as quickly as possible, and the ever present threat of Daichi confronting her before she was ready was daunting.

Deciding that enough time had passed to miss the largest of the crowds, Hina pushed out the door and descended the staircase to the ground floor. There were still stragglers coming out of the public stands, but nowhere near the mass exodus that had occurred right after the festival ended.

She dodged through a few people and made her way outside. Most of the stalls were in the midst of packing up for the day, and she was tempted to grab some more takoyaki for her walk home, but decided against it. The people looked to be right on the cusp of closing up. Hindering their task and delaying when they'd be able to get home wasn't high on her things of things to do. She walked on.

It was still bright and sunny. The festival had been several hours long, but it was only late afternoon by the time it had ended. Still plenty of time to enjoy her day and get things done.

She turned left past the food stalls and towards the street to get where she lived. Standing in front of the small wall that separated the stadium grounds with the sidewalk up against the street was a bandage wrapped man, watching her approach.

"Aren't you on your way home?" She asked, and Aizawa nodded. "Then what are you waiting out here for, Mummy Man?" Hina asked with a smile, and she was met with his customary stare.

"You." He replied, and she stopped mid-step, not having expected that.

"Me?"

Aizawa nodded, then pushed off from the wall. "I'm walking you home."

"I appreciate the thought, but...You don't have to do something like that. I'm sure you're tired as well from commentating all day long." She said, concerned with his ever present injuries. Plus...where was this coming from, anyway? "Why the sudden interest in accompanying me?"

He shrugged. "We live close to each other. And Mic told me about what you'd said earlier. You're worried your brother will face you soon."

The redhead let out a breath and looked away. She should have known Mic wouldn't have kept what they'd said to herself. She'd known him long enough by now to not forget that, but still. He could be so disarming sometimes. "That damn announcer..." She muttered.

"He's concerned." Aizawa explained his friend's behavior, gesturing with his bandaged hand towards the street to her home, and she reluctantly began walking beside him. "If you're that afraid of him finding you, the least you should do is not walk home alone."

"I'm not that useless that I don't know how to protect myself. I don't need to be babysat by my coworkers" She winced, slightly insulted that he thought she was that weak and half frustrated with herself that it was in a sense justifiable. Her combat prowess was well below that of the average UA teacher, and she was painfully aware of it. He only looked at her.

"I know that. If we doubted your strength or wanted you to have a bodyguard, I would have asked Mic to walk you home instead. I'm not exactly the shining example protection at the moment." Aizawa gestured with his injured hands, proving his point.

"Then why are you here?" She asked, genuinely curious. If he wasn't saying she was weak, why did he feel the need to be here? She wasn't exactly complaining, but Eraserhead was not a social person and the sudden desire to accompany her just felt out of place without explanation.

"You want to get stronger, don't you?" He asked, and she nodded. "Then in the meantime, you can't have your brother confronting you before you've improved your quirk. If having someone else in your vicinity wards him off, better not to isolate yourself until he's back in prison. It's not a matter of you being weak. I know you're not. But until you're ready to potentially face him, you shouldn't give him the chance to catch you off guard and without support."

She supposed that made sense. Hina's own insecurities were just throwing her friends' intentions into question. They had all been very supportive of her when they first discovered that her brother was a imprisoned villain, and even when he'd escaped, their loyalty hadn't shifted. Just the fact that she was a UA teacher and a licensed pro hero should have been enough for her. Why did she have to go and ask too many questions?

Somehow, Daichi's shadow had gripped her the moment he'd escaped, and she was letting this invisible hold over her dictate her emotions. Shaking her head, she vowed to take control of her person again and stop letting his reputation influence her.

"I appreciate everyone thinking about me." She finally answered, and Aizawa nodded, glad she'd accepted his company. They walked for several paces, the conversation ended. Then, wanting to talk about something other than her brother, she turned to him. "What did you think of the festival?"

"It turned out mostly as I'd expected."

Hina smiled with a small laugh. "So, you knew all three winners would be from your class? How arrogant, Aizawa."

He shook his head, showing no outward reaction to her jesting. "There was no way to know for sure who would win. There are too many variables to consider, and I was only vaguely informed of the other classes' quirks and skills. I had a feeling they'd take it seriously, though. And they did."

"Uraraka and Bakugo's battle was one of my highlights." Hina went on to say, clasping her hands behind her back as she stretched her shoulders and back. Aizawa watched her patiently, eyes flicking down to watch the way her back arched for only a moment. "I was impressed with how dauntless she'd shown herself to be, and the fact that Bakugo wasn't taking their fight lightly spoke volumes of his character. Don't you think?"

"Hmm. And Mic had the gall to say he was just playing around with her." Aizawa muttered bitterly. Apparently he still wasn't over his friend's remark. "His attitude leaves much to be desired, but he's well-adjusted to the nuances of a fight."

"I wonder...maybe Best Jeanist will bring him on as an intern." The redhead mused to herself, thinking about it. "I'm sure he'll get lots of offers, but Best Jeanist has reformed many different hotheads before."

"Bakugo will be a challenge either way. So will Midoriya." Aizawa said.

"How so? He seems a smart boy with a lot of ambition." Hina didn't see how the green-haired boy would be too much trouble.

The bandaged hero sighed. "He still has a very minimal control over his quirk. At this rate, he'll be a one-and-done hero, and there isn't much use for those. The fact that he was reluctant to show off his quirk may make the agencies hesitate in offering him an internship as well."

It made sense, but from an outsider's perspective, she could definitely see each of their potential for remarkable growth. "If it's any consolation, all of your students seems to have improved by large margins since day one."

"That is true." He conceded, looking both ways as they reached the edge of the sidewalk to cross a section of roadway. "I suppose the USJ attack has demonstrated the sort of threat they'll be facing. They're aware of the power gap and are even more determined to meet it quickly."

Speaking of... "How are the injuries, by the way? You've had those bandages on for quite awhile now."

He looked down at his arms. "They're fine, and the broken bones have healed by now. I should be able to remove them soon, which couldn't be soon enough, truthfully."

"Any particular reason why, Mummy Man?" She asked in amusement, and he turned his stale gaze on her.

"So you and Mic will stop calling me that awful nickname."

Hina laughed aloud, then shook her head. "It's not awful! I was quite proud of it, you know. Normally I can't come up with stuff like that on the spot, but I did this time. What? You don't find it just a little funny?"

"No."

Hina tilted her head and just smiled. "You're no fun, Aizawa."

They'd reached her apartment building. Already? The time spent talking to her coworkers had made the time go by so quickly. She had even realized where they were until he'd stopped and looked up at the building.

"Anything exciting planned for the rest of the day?" She asked, reluctant to just part ways so soon. She enjoyed talking to him, even if the amusement was a little one-sided. She still like spending time with him.

"Probably sleeping. I can only take so much of Present Mic in a day." He said, closing his eyes tiredly. "Having to spend hours next to him while he shouts out commentary is enough to exhaust you. I don't know why he even asked me to be there in the first place."

"Everyone likes a little company." She said, head tilted happily. "Even you. Come on, admit it. There's a sensitive soul in that apathetic exterior of yours, I just know it."

He stared at her for a moment, before taking turning to leave. "You shouldn't intrude on someone like that, Scarlet Seer. Some may consider it rude."

The redhead only smiled and shook her head, then perked up before he walked out of earshot. "Oh, and quit being so formal with me! You can call me Hina. I won't mind. Everyone else at work does already."

Aizawa seemed to consider it, watching her with a strange expression, before turning back towards his path home. "Ja ne."

The life skills teachers huffed out a breath, finding the man impossible, before turning in place and heading inside her apartment building. Eraserhead truly was a mystery to her, in almost everything he said and did. She had no idea where she stood with him, and doubted she'd find out anytime soon either.

* * *

A/N- And there you have it. the sports festival. I didn't want to cover every little detail, as it would have slowed the whole story down, and we've all seen it a million times. We don't need to see it again. Or read it. You know what I mean.

Please let me know what you thought of the chapter or the story in general in a review! They mean the world to me, and it helps me know how my audience is receiving the story. Thanks a bunch!


	12. Chapter 12

A/N- Sorry for the short delay in getting you guys this chapter. Two of my coworkers have been out of the office these past two weeks, so sometimes I'm not able to write while at work. Gomen'nasai, but I have returned with another chapter for you. :)

**Tinsela-** Well, I'm glad you're enjoying it! :)

Onwards!

* * *

Paperwork. _So much_ paperwork. Hina wasn't naive, she'd known there would be paperwork to file and grade and look over in her profession as a teacher, but sometimes she forgot just how much of it there was. Tests and evaluations and internship requests and a whole slew of other assignments...A prolific mountain of the stuff sat at her communal desk in the staff room.

Each teacher had a desk and a computer to access, though Hina preferred doing her duties in her own classroom as opposed to the public area of the staff room. Grading was almost meditative for her when she was by herself, that is, when there wasn't mountains of it to complete. But for some aspects of her job, she was required to update the system from the computer within it as it was the only one with access to the school database, and for all of the many internship forms, they had to be put into the file.

She was sat in front of Aizawa and two seats away from Toshinori. The soft tap of keys and the shuffling of paper marked the room, with very little conversation. No one was in a particularly talkative mood, especially considering they'd been at it for hours now. It was late afternoon and with still so much to do, wasting your time or someone else's by talking was seen as an annoyance. Better to just focus on your work.

Except, Hina was having a hard time with that. She kept sneaking glances at Aizawa from over her computer screen, who was unaware of her peeking. After having seen him in nothing but bandages for awhile, it was almost strange to see how without them now. And the jagged scar just under his left eye was a new addition. As rude as it may be, she couldn't help but stare.

He was just as scruffy as usual, hair unkempt and long like it had always been, perhaps a bit longer since he hadn't been able to get it cut with all of the injuries present. His eyes trailed the paper he was reading before flicking back up to the screen to input whatever information it contained into the computer.

Hina looked away again, knowing she should be staring at her coworker, but she just couldn't help herself sometimes. He was a handsome guy. She smiled a little, before looking back up at Aizawa.

_"Too bad we can't call you Mummy Man anymore. I almost miss the bandages."_ She projected, smiling a little wider when he glanced up at her._ "Maybe you should consider adding them to your costume design."_

His head shook minutely, but he returned his eyes back to his work. _**"That would be extremely impractical. And annoying."**_

_"Yeah...I guess you're right. They'd get in the way, and no one would be able to tell what you were thinking."_ She surmised with a tilt of her head.

_**"Other than you, with your quirk."**_

_"Now _that_ would be annoying, having to use my quirk every time I wanted to talk to you. I'd have a migraine every single day."_

_**"Side effect of overuse?"**_ He guessed, grabbing another paper from the stack.

_"Yeah...it gives me a killer headache if I use it too long. Push it any further and it'll last for hours."_

_**"Hmm."**_ He seemed to hum to himself in thought, then glanced over at Mic instinctively. _**"Mic said something similar earlier. Apparently I'm nowhere near as intimidating when I'm recovering from injuries, which makes it all the easier to drag me to do things he wants to do. He told me to get hurt more often. Jokingly, of course."**_

_"That definitely sounds like Mic. But I for one hope you don't get injured again, if that accounts for anything."_ The redhead regarded him again. _"Plus, it'd be such a shame to keep your face covered all the time, now that I think about it. The scar looks good. Suits you, in a way."_

She pulled out of his mind and directed her attention back to her work before he could respond, suddenly realizing that what she'd said could have been construed in a way she hadn't outright intended. Now that she thought about it, most of their conversations ended up making her sound much flirtier than Hina had wanted to come across.

Well, she supposed that wasn't such a bad thing. Aizawa was good friends with Midnight and she was practically the queen of flirtatious behavior. Maybe she was just emulating her in an attempt to get closer to the man. He never seemed to be pushed away by their talks, unless she was teasing him, of course.

Feeling his stare on her, she risked glancing up one more time, and noticed his strange expression. She smiled, and he finally looked away, focusing once more on his work. Hina did the same, deciding that she'd meddled in his head for long enough. The one drawback of using her quirk was that she had to maintain a line of sight on her intended target, as in Aizawa's quirk's case. Which meant she couldn't get any work down while talking to him, unfortunately.

Sighing quietly to herself, she threw herself back into the many, many papers still left to complete, hoping that the day would pass quickly so she could go home.

* * *

Six o'clock came around without fanfare. There was no miraculous shout of joy once their workday was done, because the following morning would only be more of the same tedious paper filing and system updating. None of them-except for Midnight who'd simply flopped down on her desk and taken a nap, and Toshinori who hadn't had much to accomplish to begin with and left early-had actually completed their full workload that day. Hina glared at her unfinished stack of papers, wishing they'd just burst into flames so she wouldn't have to do them. Where was Endeavor when you needed him?

Present Mic stood from his seat and stretched, then smiled widely. Now that work was done for the day, his radio host personality began seeping back into his very being. And with it came his high volume. "Alright, today's been a drag, so...who's up for some drinks? On me tonight!"

"Me." Midnight raised her hand from her desk immediately, still resting her head on the wood.

"Yes please..." Hina sighed with a wince at his loud voice, propping her head on her hand, tired eyes blinking slowly. Without some form of stimulus she was likely to just fall asleep in her chair. Cementoss, Ectoplasm, Snipe, and even Power Loader were all in the staff room working, and they all agreed in various states of fatigue. The paperwork had taken a lot out of everyone.

Mic turned to Aizawa with a wide grin, nudging him with an elbow. "What about you, Eraser? Fancy a drink with the rest of us?"

His eyes closed, no doubt weighing the pros and cons of spending more time with his loud friend, but he eventually shrugged. "Why not?"

"Yeah!" Present Mic exclaimed, striking a pose, then gestured for the others to follow him. "Come on, I know a good place down the road. Ladies, up and at 'em!" He added when it became apparent Midnight and Hina hadn't moved from their spots.

The redhead sluggishly stood from her seat and picked her friend up by the elbow, basically dragging her from her chair and along with the other teachers. Midnight followed with a groan, liking the idea of a drink but unwilling to put in the work to get herself there.

Luckily, it was a short walk to the bar Mic had talked about, and it was not that popular or well-known, so the heroes weren't bombarded by fans the moment they walked inside. It was dimly lit and cozy, just the sort of atmosphere the exhausted UA staff needed after a long day of grinding through papers. Occupants inside simply gave them a passing glance before going back to their own drinks, unconcerned with the heroes.

As promised, Mic bought the first round of alcohol and the staff were sat along the U-shaped bar. Somehow, Hina ended up at the end of the right side, sitting beside Aizawa. Though she had a distinct impression that she'd been shoved that direction by Midnight. Her friend hadn't given anything away though, so she couldn't tell if it had been intentional. Knowing her, it definitely had been.

Soft music played overhead, and the staff began striking up conversation now that the alcohol was hitting their systems. Midnight was whispering furiously to Present Mic, about what she'd never guess. Probably sharing the latest gossip. At the other end of the bar, Ectoplasm and Power Loader were enthusiastically retelling a gross miscalculation with one of the students' equipment, which ended up backfiring and catching the support equipment lab on fire. Cementoss and Snipe listened intently.

Hina tried to keep up with the story, but being so far away made it difficult to catch everything, so she simply sat and enjoyed the atmosphere of spending some time with her coworkers. It had been awhile since they'd last gotten together as a group like this, too busy with work related duties and hero responsibilities alike. It was nice to just be here among them in a non-work environment.

Aizawa kept quiet, either listening to the story that the other two teachers recounted or simply ignoring them altogether. He sipped slowly at his sake, in no hurry to feel anything from the alcohol. Hina thought not for the first time that he was such a private individual. Other than his teaching style, and his hero work, she didn't know practically anything about him. He was a complete mystery to her.

"Do you make it a habit of staring at people?" He asked of her suddenly, and she shook her head, realizing that her eyes had been trained on him for quite awhile. He gave her a tired side glance.

"Sorry...I was just thinking to myself, I don't know all that much about you. We've been coworkers for three years but you don't talk about yourself." She shrugged. "Out of all the staff I know you the least. You can't fault me for being curious."

"I thought you would have read all of our minds and discovered all of our deepest, darkest secrets by now." He remarked offhandedly, but she blinked in surprise.

"Read your minds-? No, no! Why would I violate the trust of my coworkers like that when I could simply talk to them to find out what I was curious about? I'd lose more friends in the long run if I simply dug into everyone's mind to satisfy my curiosity. And I don't want to know everything about you, just what makes you you. Do I really seem like the type of person to stoop to that sort of level?"

The edge of his mouth was twitched upwards in amusement, and he finished his first cup of sake in one last swallow. "Relax, Scarlet. I know you wouldn't do something like that." He held up a finger for the bartender to get him another cup of sake.

"Oh...right." She deflated a little, laughing to herself once it became obvious Aizawa had only been teasing. She scratched the back of her head, feeling ridiculous. "I knew that."

He stared at her another moment, then turned to the bartender who handed him another sake. "I try not to talk about myself to others. Mic and Midnight have just known me since high school, and they wouldn't leave me alone, I suppose."

"Private person?" She guessed, and he shrugged a reluctant agreement. She indicated to the bartender that she wanted another drink. "I get that. But I still want to get to know you."

"Why so interested?" He asked bluntly.

"Thank you." Hina said to the bartender when he brought her another drink. She leaned her elbow on the counter, propping her head up to look at him square on. "I just want us to be friends, Aizawa. You and I aren't as acquainted with each other as with the other staff, even after three years working together. I mean, I see you every day. It makes me a little sad, that we aren't as close as we otherwise could be."

He frowned slightly, taking a sip from his sake. "I've always considered you a friend."

Hina perked up. "You have?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know..." She muttered to herself, downing her second drink quickly, then tapped the counter for another. "We just never associated or talked that much all this time, I guess. I didn't think you liked my company."

He sighed, narrowing his eyes, as if chastising himself. "I can be distant if I don't watch myself. Mic's told me that a dozen times. I hadn't noticed you felt that way. Gomen'nasai."

Hina smiled, rushing to clarify. "Oh, don't worry about it. I realize now that you and I just have different ways of approaching friendship. Don't apologize for being who you are. I wouldn't ask you to change."

He shot her another strange look, but nodded after a moment, returning his focus back to his drink. He may have wanted the conversation to end there, but now that he'd dropped this revelation on her, she didn't want to let this opportunity slip away. Maybe the alcohol was encouraging him to talk more. She was determined to at least learn a few things about him.

"I've always been curious about how you ended up being called Eraserhead." She mused aloud.

This earned her a tired sigh and a shake of his head. "It's not anything special. I didn't care what I ended up being called, since I didn't want to be in the spotlight anyway. Mic chose it for me and I went with it."

"Ah...that explains it. It's a very 'Present Mic' sort of name." She chuckled to herself. Aizawa didn't look so amused.

"It's a terrible name."

Hina shook her head. "Oh, come on. Mine's not any better. 'Scarlet Seer' was the only thing I could think of and that's just based off of is my damn hair color. The Seer part isn't even accurate, since I can't predict or see the future." She gestured with her hand flippantly, still a little disappointed that she'd ended up being called that. It wasn't her finest moment in school, that was for sure.

"It's still better than Eraserhead." He said, and she smiled, head tilted to the side.

"It really isn't so bad."

He gave her an incredulous stare, not quite believing her.

"Oi! Eraser!" Mic called from further down the bar to catch his attention, and Aizawa turned to his loud friend, caught in conversation with him.

Hina looked down at her drink, twirling it this way and that. She was starting to feel warm inside from the alcohol. She wasn't quite drunk, but continuing at this pace would quickly get her there. They still had a lot of work to do the next morning, so getting wasted probably wasn't a good idea.

Her coworkers talked, and she was content to just sit and listen, though her eyes kept trailing to the Eraser hero beside her, who was listening to whatever Mic was saying. To a degree, she envied their close relationship. Aizawa never seemed uncomfortable around his friend-so long as they didn't do something outlandish, as Mic had the tendency to do occasionally. They spent a lot of time together. They knew each other on a personal level.

Hina wanted that with him, despite not knowing entirely why.

Midnight had assumed she'd been trying to start something more than just a friendly relationship, but that was ridiculous. She wasn't sure what the rule was on fraternization between teachers at UA Academy, but certainly there'd be some sort of rule against it. Her intentions were platonic, and Hina had never even considered something like that between her and the 1-A homeroom teacher. Not even once.

It's not as if Hina thought he _wasn't_ attractive. Of course not. He was a very dedicated person to his job, which she respected and admired, and he took all of his responsibilities without complaint. Not to mention, Aizawa's scruffy and 'I-just-got-out-of-bed' look had always appealed to her, and she recognized that he was a handsome man. Now that she thought about it...he did have quite a lovely face to look at. Underneath his five o'clock shadow was a defined face that couldn't be called unattractive. There was also something about his eyes she'd always liked.

Huh. Maybe Nemuri had been right...maybe Hina was unconsciously looking for something more with him. She'd never been the type to try pushing down her feelings. Her desire to be closer with him had been there for awhile, she'd just assumed friendship had been the extent of it. But the longer she reflected on how she felt, the less she was confident that her heart would be satisfied with something so platonic and surface level.

Recognizing that she liked him didn't turn out to be this huge, embarrassing revelation that made her internally squeal. When it all came down to it, well...she supposed it all made much more sense why getting close to him had always been something she'd wanted.

Hina went to take another drink, but found that her glass was empty, and set it back on the counter. Three shots was normally enough for her-her body was warm and she could feel the familiar pressure of a possible headache and she decided that she'd stop for the night.

Aizawa reached for his glass, and suddenly she was unable to look away from his hands on the table. They were thin and long, and he gently held the sake by the top of the cup, as if he meant to take a drink but was distracted halfway through his action by something Mic had said. Her brown eyes followed his arm up a ways, covered by his uniform sleeve. Black could certainly cover up a lot...

_He's lean, but...maybe he's actually pretty muscular under that shirt._ She watched him lift the cup to his mouth and drink, but the fabric of his shirt didn't bunch and gave nothing away as far as an answer to her internal question went. She was doomed not to know, it seemed.

Eyes tracked lower as Hina's blood alcohol slowly increased from her three shots. The redhead was lucky that everyone's attention was solely on Present Mic. No one noticed her prolonged staring at her coworker, and as her thoughts slowly got the better of her reasoning.

_I wonder why he covers himself up so much. Come to think of it, I've never seen him in anything but his costume..._

Hina tried picturing him in a tank top and sweatpants, or something equally appealing to her, but was unable to manage it without a reference. Damn, and she'd tried to hard too. Then, another thought popped into mind and she just couldn't help herself, her descending thoughts filling her head.

_"Maybe Aizawa's secretly got tattoos under that costume of his...maybe a chest tattoo...he sort of seems the type."_

The redhead's eyes snapped up to Aizawa, who was now staring at her in surprise. One second went, then two passed, before her own eyes widened as she realized what she'd accidentally done. So focused on him, she'd unintentionally projected her thoughts to his own mind. He'd heard what she'd been thinking so lewdly. Oh, fuck...

_"Uhh...G-Gomen'nasai!"_

Face growing just as red as her hair, she yanked her gaze and connection to his mind away and covered her eyes with her hands in embarrassment. She couldn't believe she'd let her quirk slip like that, so confident with her control most of the time. But get a little drunk and suddenly she was a middle schooler again, unable to choose who and what thoughts were projected to anyone, which had caused her a lot of grief back then at school.

_Kill me now..._

The bartender chose that moment to come back around to their side of the bar. "Any refills?" He asked, and Hina held up a few fingers.

"Two shots, please."

"Same as before?"

Her head shook, eyes downcast. "The strongest fucking stuff you've got."

He nodded and got to work, producing both shots a moment later. Hina downed them both without even so much as a damn grimace. She risked a glance in his direction, but he had turned back to Mic and the others. Great. She'd probably just shut down whatever attempt she'd wanted to make towards becoming his friend with that one embarrassing slip. Surely he thought she was some sort of closet pervert now...

It hadn't been the smartest idea to take another two shots, but all she'd been thinking at that moment was that she wanted to forget this had ever happened and maybe getting drunk enough would solve it. As her vision became blurrier and the world seemed to rock a little from side to side, she felt one moment of regret when she remembered that they were back to work bright and early the next morning. In the next moment, the thought slipped away into oblivion.

Hina spent the rest of the time stewing in her own cluttered thoughts, chastising herself for ever having thought those things in the first place, then defending herself to _herself_ with the idea that such things were natural and he was, after all, fucking hot. Countering that was the reality that he was her coworker and it was extremely discourteous to be secretly thinking those things or seeing him that way.

By the time the others were ready to bounce, Hina was fully drunk and not doing so well.

"Jeez, Hina, how many shots did you have?" Midnight asked once she noticed the way the redhead wobbled and nearly fell over once she stood from her seat.

"Umm..." She had to think about the answer for a moment. "...five."

"Five!?" The seductress hero laughed. "Oh, hun, you're definitely gonna be feeling those tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah..." She muttered, pushing away from the bar and heading towards the door on unsteady feet. It felt like a longer distance than it probably was, but she took every step carefully so as not to fall flat on her ass.

"Please get her home safely!" Midnight called to someone else, who only replied with an affirmative grunt. Hina felt someone behind her as she pushed out the door, and spun to find Aizawa walking behind her patiently.

"Why're you following me?" She asked in confusion, remembering what had happened earlier and feeling embarrassed again, she looked away in shame.

"I live near you." He reminded, before shrugging. "And you shouldn't walk home alone in that state, whether your brother is on the loose or not."

Her first instinct was to defend herself, saying she didn't need anyone holding her hand or supervising her all the time. Unfortunately, her foot caught on an uneven crack in the sidewalk below and she teetered precariously. Aizawa's grip on her elbow was the only thing keeping her upright.

"Careful." He said, his tone giving nothing away.

"Ok..." Was all she muttered, deciding to keep her mind trained exclusively on the task of walking upright and in a relatively straight line. It was so difficult when the world was swaying around you, though. But a the very least she could retain what dignity she had left.

They walked in silence most of the way there, with Aizawa keeping her from falling over on occasion using a soft grip on her elbow. He was gentle with her, but she knew that he had the strength to hold her with an unrelenting grip if he chose to. Unbidden, her mind conjured up images of him shoving her against the wall and looking down at her from his superior height-

_No, no no no no!_ She shook her head aggressively, trying to stop any further images from plaguing her mind.

"What is it?" Aizawa asked, clueless as to her internal struggle. She shut her eyes and scrunched her face.

"Nothing, just...alcohol." She finished lamely, hoping he wouldn't ask further while keeping a figurative white-knuckled grip on her quirk. Thankfully, he didn't, and just kept them in the direction of their apartments. His half-lidded gaze seemed more tired than usual, and Hina felt terrible for dragging down his night of relaxation the way she'd done. A sigh escaped her. "I'm sorry..."

"For what?" He asked, glancing at her again.

"...Earlier." She reluctantly admitted. "I didn't mean to do that..."

Aizawa hummed with an inclined tilt of his head, no indication of his current mood showing through. They came upon her lit-up apartment building and he guided her towards the entrance when it became clear that she was veering off another direction unintentionally.

"Don't worry about it." He finally said, once they were stopped in front of her building's entrance.

Hina peered up at him, trying to figure out what he was actually feeling and if he really meant that it wasn't a problem, but the movement made her stumble backwards. Aizawa caught her and gently leaned her against the wall of the building by her shoulders so she wouldn't lose her balance again, a small grin on his face.

"I don't have any tattoos, by the way." He said in amusement, and her eyes widened again. He was pretty close, holding her by her shoulders to make sure she didn't fall again. "If you really wanted to know, you could have just asked."

His eyes glinted with humor. After an amount of time than wasn't particularly necessary, he released her shoulders and stepped back. His hand reached for the door beside them and pulled it open, gesturing for her to enter.

Hina did, staring up at him in wonder before he released the door and turned on his heel to head home. She stood there in the hallway, very drunk and very confused as to what the meaning was behind the moment that just transpired. The fog of alcohol made it a slow process, but eventually she came to a conclusion.

Had he been...teasing her?

A little smile lifted her mouth up and she laughed to herself, liking the revelation that he didn't hate her or think less of her for the embarrassing mistake, and found hope in the fact that he'd smiled while saying his parting words. Hina felt sort of goofy as she wobbled her way up the stairs to her suite, laughing to herself all the while.

* * *

A/N- Please take a moment to leave a review, good or bad, as I'd love to know what you think of the story so far!


	13. Chapter 13

A/N- Sorry again about the small delay. I hope you will still enjoy the chapter!

Onwards!

* * *

Exhausted and sporting a headache rivaling one that occurred due to the overuse of her quirk, Hina trudged closer towards the school, not looking forward to the mountain of leftover paperwork that would greet her there. Midnight and Toshinori had both finished up their work the night before, but the Life Skills teacher and several others still had a ways to to before taming their piles. At this point, it wouldn't have surprised her if they had multiplied during the night. Knowing her luck, hers definitely would have.

No one paid any mind to the hungover UA teacher as she made her way, wearing sunglasses to reduce the sunlight blinding her and carrying her bag strapped over her shoulder, as her slow footsteps brought her closer to her destination. Another vibration from her pocket, another text from Midnight, and she sighed to herself, shaking her head but ultimately ignoring the notification.

Her usual coffee place was on the way there, and after much debate, she finally decided to stop and grab something before getting to the school, knowing she'd need at least a little something to get her through the day. Mixing caffeine with a hangover wasn't wise. Sure it would feel like it was helping at first and even alleviate some of the pounding pain in her head, but the eventual crash would be awful. It always went this way, but so long as she continually drank it throughout the day, it would keep her awake long enough to get her through all of her work to do.

Sunrise Coffee was a small, bright yellow shack set on the corner of two main roads. Despite looking rather ramshackle and unorthodox in comparison to the higher-rise building it sat directly next to, it was quite popular and bragged the award for best espresso two years running among the local shops. This of course meant longer lines most of the time, but Hina could overlook small things like that in order to get her hands on her daily Mocha blend.

Except, today, a familiar looking face stood in the line close to the front, which caught her attention in a distracting manner.

"Aizawa?" She asked, narrowing her eyes as if she wasn't seeing properly. Was her hangover making her see things too?

He turned her way and raised his brows. His eyes flicked over the sunglasses and lackluster hairstyle she'd thrown together that morning. "Scarlet. You look..."

"Hungover?" She finished for him, and he nodded. Her hand brushed over her temple and she sighed in slight pain. Her pocket vibrated. She ignored it once more. "Yeah, well...that's what I get for downing five shots last night, I guess."

He nodded quietly, saying nothing more on the matter. She was thankful he didn't bring up her awkward and embarrassing actions from the bar, hoping to put the matter behind her. What followed after wasn't all that bad, she supposed, but the beginning of the night could be purged entirely from her mind for all she cared.

"I didn't know you bought coffee here." She pointed out, dragging the conversation back to some semblance of normal, morning small talk. "I haven't seen you here before."

He shrugged, looking back up at the available drinks. "It was on the way. Figured I'd try it out. The school's coffee can get old after awhile."

"I'd recommend the Chocolate Mocha, but you and I don't exactly agree on what constitutes good coffee." She quipped with a smile, and he nodded seriously.

The line moved forward, with only one person ahead of him. She seemed to notice that she'd simply inserted herself into the line unintentionally, and took a step back. "Oh, I'd better get in line and wait my turn. Don't want to be accused of line cutting."

"Let me buy you coffee." He said evenly, suddenly catching her surprised eye.

Her hands raised up in denial. "You don't have to do that-"

"I promised to take you out for some, didn't I? After USJ." He reminded her, and she did suddenly recall his offer. She hadn't thought much about it since then, too much else going on to have remembered. Ugh, yet another vibration ignored, for the third time. Midnight was not taking the hint.

"Ah, yeah you did. Well, thank you then. I appreciate it." It would be rude to decline now, going back on her word to accept his offer from back then. And she did not want to be rude.

He ordered their drinks and they stood back a ways from the counter to wait for them to be ready. The redhead was a little antsy, shifting on her feet as she stood next to him. She kept glancing Aizawa's direction, wondering if he felt any semblance of the unease she did. His outward expression was calm, composed, and practically the same neutral emotion he displayed for most things. He gave nothing away.

Hina couldn't help but recall the way he'd held her close, against the wall of her apartment building the night before to keep her steady. His small smile accompanied with his teasing had filtered through her mind on repeat all night long, invading even her sleep. She was embarrassed to admit that he'd starred in a very tense dream she'd had, fixing her with that amused smile as he pressed her up against her bedroom wall, promising things with his eyes that she desperately wanted to come true in the moment. But boy had it been shameful to recall that morning as she woke up.

He seemed oblivious to her internal guilt, and she did her best not to show any of it through her body language, but some leaked through despite it all.

Before long their drinks were ready and they were walking towards the school side by side, sipping away at their respective coffees. She supposed he simply chalked up her shameful behavior last night as a drunken mistake, and thought nothing more of it. Perhaps she should try to emulate that same thinking.

Her concentration was broken by a fourth vibration in her pocket and she sighed heavily before reaching down to grab it. "For fuck's sake..." She muttered, scrolling through her messages to just get the notifications off of her screen. Aizawa noticed her frustration.

"Telemarketers?" He asked as they crossed the street among the other civilians, but she shook her head.

"Midnight. She's trying to get me to tell her any gossip I might have heard last night, but doesn't believe I don't know anything. She's a pain in my ass sometimes..." Hina remarked, tapping back a fast and annoyed reply to hopefully stop the continuous stream of messages, before stuffing the device back in her pocket.

Aizawa nodded in understanding. "Midnight is like Mic in that regard. He's nosy and persistent as well. Somehow he always manages to drag me into some nonsense or another, though."

She smiled. "Is that how you ended up commentating for the sports festival? It didn't sound like you'd volunteered to be there."

"Yes, unfortunately. There wasn't much I could really do to stop him at the time." He admitted, taking another sip from his black coffee. "It's not like I did much anyway. Mic did most of the talking."

"Maybe he just didn't want to be alone up there all day long?" She mused to herself.

"Probably."

Hina shook her head, forced to step closer to him to avoid a couple standing in the middle of the sidewalk. "I still can't wrap my head around you two as friends. You're so different from each other. How did that happen, anyway?"

"It was back in high school." He explained with a neutral expression. "We sat next to each other and he seemed to take that as some sort of sign that we were supposed to be friends. I was one of the few people who put up with his personality without ridiculing him. He never left me alone and...well, that's basically it."

"So, he just dogged you so much that you begrudgingly became his friend?" She asked in amusement, but he winced.

"I didn't become his friend out of pity, if that's what you're asking. He just stuck with me and I didn't mind having him around." He said, then drank the rest of his coffee in one long gulp. His now empty cup was tossed in the nearest trash can on the sidewalk. "After high school, we went separate ways for awhile, but we both ended up back at UA as teachers. He acted as if no time had passed at all."

Hina still wasn't even halfway done with her coffee, preferring to savor the creamy flavor for as long as she could. "Well, it's clear that you two work very well together. I'm glad you have a friend like that." Then, she tilted her head in thought. "I hope I don't come across as pushy or bothersome. I know I can ramble if I don't catch myself..."

"You don't." He said quickly, catching her eye. "I don't mind your company. If I thought you were bothersome, you'd know it."

Hina smiled at his admission, seeing the gates of the school up ahead. His words did more to dispel her nerves than any number of cups of coffee could. "I'm glad."

* * *

Hina was a few hours deep into laying on the couch and doing absolutely nothing, thankful that her efforts of slaving away at the many internship applications and assignments to grade had paid off in the end. Her desk was clear and devoid of current responsibilities, and she was, for once, able to relax without knowing there was an ever-present job to do somewhere else.

Her tv was lit up with some wildlife documentary, showing high-definition videos of animals in their natural habitat. It wasn't anything of particular interest to her, but it was better than what most other channels were currently showing. Her bowl of popcorn was nearly empty, and she set the bowl aside, no longer hungry or in the mood to eat.

She heard a few hard thumps above her, and she looked up at the ceiling. Her upstairs neighbors had a habit of stomping at odd hours of the day, or dropping things on the floor. She could never quite tell what they were doing. All she knew was that it was annoying. Her middle finger flicked outwards, directed at whoever lived above her.

She yawned, stretching her back to pop the joints. It was early but the day had been long enough that she wouldn't mind heading to bed soon. A full night's rest sounded lovely. Standing and turning off the tv, she grabbed her phone and went to start turning off the lights in her apartment.

The phone buzzed, and at first she rolled her eyes, thinking it was Midnight trying a second time to squeeze her for information, but it kept ringing. She turned the phone in her hand to see the screen, and was surprised to recognize the police Commissioner's contact on her phone.

"This is Scarlet Seer?" She answered in confusion, wondering why on earth he'd be calling her, of all heroes. She wasn't particularly active, which the Commissioner was aware of.

"Scarlet Seer, this is Commissioner Jino. We are requesting your immediate assistance at Musutafu General Hospital." He said without hesitation or delay. There was a full second's pause before she had the ability to reply back, shocked by what he'd said.

"Ah...yes, of course. I'll be there right away..." She stuttered out, fast footsteps carrying her to her bedroom where her hero costume was hanging after being washed. "May I ask...what's going on?"

"We aren't sure. That's why your presence here is imperative." He said, not unkindly. The Commissioner was a duty-driven man, who didn't beat around the bush or seemingly participate in small talk of any kind. "We are certain you will understand when you arrive."

"I see." She said, swallowing back her nerves. "I should be there within five minutes."

With that, the line disconnected, and she stared at her screen, still bewildered by what had just happened. Then, knowing she was expected there as soon as possible, she tossed her phone to the bed and stripped off her pajamas, tossing them to the floor carelessly.

* * *

Living close to the academy meant she was also nearby to the general hospital, and she made quick work of the route to get there. Not bothering with a taxi or other vehicle, she elected to use her nimbleness to create her own shortcuts from the buildings' roofs. She was there in no time, barely breaking a sweat. If there was one thing she could at least boast about, it was her stamina.

She dropped to the ground from a nearby building and jogged over to the hospital's main entrance. A police officer stood there, waiting for her. He gestured inside when she approached.

"Please, come this way."

"Can you tell me what is going on?" She inquired, but he shook his head, leading her towards the hospital elevators.

"The Commissioner doesn't want too many details of this getting out to the public. He will brief you once you arrive." The man explained evenly as the doors opened. They stepped inside and he pressed the button for the 4th floor.

Hina was still very confused, completely in the dark as to what was going on. The cabin began to move, lifting them up until it came to a stop on the designated floor. The small screen at the front displayed the number '4' and dinged loudly.

"Follow me." The man instructed, gesturing for her to do so when he stepped out of the cabin. They passed a nurse's station, which was devoid of any staff, strangely enough. This wing of the hospital was eerily quiet, and she glanced behind her out of instinct. Nothing was waiting behind her to attack, but she couldn't help but feel something wasn't right. Maybe an empty hospital corridor was just creepy in of itself, and she tried to shake the feeling off.

"In here." The man approached a door and opened it, holding it so she could enter the room. Hina stepped inside the brightly room suite, three beds set against the left wall. A handful of uniformed policemen took up the room, outnumbered only by the hospital staff actively treating the three patients, checking vitals and hanging new IV bags. The odd one out among those inside was Aizawa, who stood with crossed arms speaking to one of the policemen.

He glanced at her as she entered, and his arms released themselves. The man he'd been talking to turned in place, and greeted her with an extended hand. "Scarlet Seer, thank you for coming at such short notice."

Hina recognized the voice and knew this to be the Commissioner. It had been awhile since she'd seen him face to face, but that voice was distinct and unforgettable. "It's no problem. Can you please tell me what's going on?"

Jino gestured to the left where the bedridden patients were. "Three heroes over the past week have been found in a comatose state. No apparent damage to their body, but unresponsive to any stimulus we've tried. They're all but dead, though their bodies are still functioning as they should be."

Hina frowned, watching as he turned to regard them all. "Slugger. Mr. Brave. And just tonight," his hand drifted to the further bed from them, "Eraserhead found Rock Lock in the same state while on patrol."

"Who was the first victim?" She asked, looking over to her colleagues. "When were they found?"

"Slugger was the first to be discovered." The Commissioner replied, ushering them over to his bed. She noticed a bat and his hero uniform folded in a pile beside the bed, recognizing his signature umpire-inspired mask on top of it. "Mt. Lady found him laying in an alleyway six days ago. No visible wounds, and according to the medical professionals, no internal injuries either. There's no apparent reason these heroes should be this way. They're healthy as horses."

He turned back to Hina. "Eraserhead recommended we call you for assistance."

The redhead looked at Aizawa, then understood why she was here. "You want me to search their minds, see what might have happened?" Both men nodded, and she looked over at the heroes again. "Ok...I'll see what I can do."

By some unspoken signal, the law enforcement and medical professionals all gave her some space as she approached Slugger. His face was calm, eyes closed. For all intents and purposes, he was just sleeping, but for some reason lacked the ability to wake up or react to anything around him. Hina let out a breath before sitting on the chair beside the bed. Activating her quirk at the fullest of her power, her eyes glowed a cyan blue, and everything around her faded as she delved into the man's psyche.

Minds were a beautiful, delicate thing. The few that she was able to touch to this level throughout her life had all been very different and unique in practice, akin to the people they belonged to, but structurally similar. She'd been expecting a place of significance as the backdrop to what could be described as the 'central core' of Slugger's mind-hers was the shoreline with a view of the ocean, as it had always brought her a sense of calm and peace-but she saw nothing but darkness around her. A darkness no light could penetrate.

An intense feeling of fear washed over her as she stood in what could only be described as pitch black emptiness. Intruding on someone's mind always came with the risk of being overtaken by the emotions they were currently feeling, and this was no different. He was stricken with intense fear, paralyzing and terrifying and too encroaching for him to overcome in his current state.

Well...the 'room' wasn't completely empty, now that she looked around closely. Tiny shards of shimmering, red crystal-like material suspended in the space around her, rotating and spinning in place. She reached out to touch it, but it cut her finger like glass. A drop of blood welled up at the tip of her pointer finger, and she held it to her mouth.

Breathing heavy from the thick layer of intimidation that wrapped around his mind, she stepped forward, spotting his individual representation curled up in the middle of the smattering of red crystals with weak sobs. The central point.

"Slugger." She called, her voice shaking a little from the heavy feeling of fear sinking into her. He did not respond other than continuing to weep. She knelt beside him, touching his back gently, which was bare. In fact, he was completely naked, curled into himself in shame and vulnerability. Stripped down to his most basic human state.

She looked around for the small orb that should represent his mind as a whole. The 'command console,' as she'd always liked to refer to them as. With it, she'd have access to his mind, thoughts, feelings, and memories without the need to brute force her way through. Everyone had one, painted a shade of color that represented them on a basic level. Hers was blue. His...well, she couldn't even find his.

Her eyes searched the darkness for something, anything, that might indicate where the orb was, but then she stopped as it all clicked together. The red crystals that shimmered and danced in place all around her...she understood now, and suddenly the fear that draped her shoulders wasn't all the byproduct of Slugger's intense terror. Hina pulled herself from his mind hurriedly, snapping back to reality with a sharp intake of breath.

"Scarlet?" Aizawa asked in concern, but she had already turned her head to Mr. Brave and dived into the next hero's mind before she could reply, eyes flaring back to life in a glowing, cyan hue.

Darkness. Shards of glimmering, forest green crystal. And extreme, intense, physical pain that hit her like a speeding bullet. She gasped aloud, but it was drowned out by a man's voice. Mr. Brave was screaming, voice hoarse and raw, and he clutched at his head in desperation. Equally as naked as Slugger had been, his image writhed on the ground in continuous and unimaginable pain.

Hina grit her teeth, feeling as though her body was being torn apart at all angles, before pulling back immediately from his mind. The white walls and floors of the hospital room lay before her, and she felt a tear leak from one eye. She felt a hand on her shoulder to provide her support. She knew it was Aizawa, but didn't bother to look up at him or acknowledge he was there, reeling from the sudden shift in environment and emotions.

Her eyes glowed blue once more, and the inky blackness surrounded her again. She was hit with a wave of debilitating grief, and she couldn't stop herself from crying the moment she found herself in Rock Lock's mind. His sorrow was a keening wail, his naked body bent over and straining against his own grief.

His shards were pale yellow, in as small of pieces as Mr. Brave's and Slugger's were. Fragmented and scattered, like a starry sky above her head. Through her tears, Hina went over to him, kneeling before him to try to get his attention.

"Rock Lock! I need you to look at me!" Her voice wavered, tears still slipping down her cheeks, but he only shook his head.

"They're gone..." He cried out in agony, hands fisting together and pressing against the ground. "Both of them...just gone!"

"Rock Lock..." She tried again, wishing that she knew his real name, but he was lost in his grief and paid her no further attention. Saddened by the state of him, she realized there was nothing further she could do, and pulled back from his mind.

Her body shook with lingering emotions from all three heroes, and she quickly wiped away at the tears at her cheeks. Aizawa's hand still rested on her shoulder, and she looked up at him in gratitude. He returned her stare, worry hidden behind his neutral expression.

"Is there anything you can tell us as to what might be happening?" Jino asked, gaining her attention. She nodded morosely, taking a moment to even out her throat. It was dry and felt scratchy, as if she'd been screaming for an hour.

"Their minds are completely shattered." His eyebrows raised in surprise, not expecting that answer. "All that's left is...fragments, shards. It's practically disintegrated. Like their subconscious was put through a shredder and spat out the other end."

"You have an idea for what caused this, don't you?" The police Commissioner suspected, and she nodded, eyes drifting back over to the comatose heroes.

"A mental-based assault wouldn't leave visible injuries and could cause this sort of damage. This just looks like basic brute force turned up to a sadistic degree..." She sighed, wishing things hadn't turned out this way. "I think my brother is responsible for this."

"He _did_ escape the prison just before the first attack. And there aren't many mental-based quirk users in the city." Another policeman commented, standing nearby. The police Commissioner nodded thoughtfully.

"It does fit the timeline..." He looked over the heroes again as well. Hina took the opportunity to compose herself. "Does Daichi possess the power necessary to do something like this? I'm aware you helped bring him in the first time."

"Yes, he does. His quirk is more powerful than mine."

"Then we will want to bring this to the attention of all heroes in the area to warn them." He said. "He seems to only be targeting heroes, no civilians have been found in this condition. Until that changes, we should assume he has some sort of vendetta against heroes, or the system at the very least. I want to find out why these three in particular were targeted."

Hina looked down at her lap, as the policemen went about their way discussing theories and compiling their evidence. She felt useless once more, unable to help these heroes recover their broken minds. The pieces were too small, too fragmented, and a mind was a complex machine. Putting it back together from tattered pieces was no easy feat.

Aizawa's squeezed her shoulder, and she glanced upwards at his concerned expression. "You should go home. Rest."

"I doubt I'll get much sleep after this..." She muttered, but stood nonetheless. There was no further need for her here.

He ushered her to the door, nodding to the nearest policeman as they passed. The hallway outside the treatment room was still quiet and eerie, which wasn't helping her calm down from what she'd just experienced.

"How bad was it?" Aizawa questioned once they were in the elevator, seeing her visible discomfort.

Hina searched for the right way to describe it before finally answering, her eyes straight ahead. "When you enter someone's mind to that level, you are essentially stepping into the very core of their being. Generally, it manifests itself as a room, which portrays itself as a place that is significant to the individual." They arrived to the ground floor and stepped out into the lobby. She gestured in the direction of the beach. "Mine is the shoreline."

Hina shook her head sadly as they stepped out into the evening air. "All I could see was darkness, and the shattered remains of their psyche. Slugger felt this unimaginable fear. Mr. Brave is in continuous physical pain. And Rock Lock is experiencing grief of his loved ones."

"Grief?" Aizawa seemed confused. "His wife and daughter are fine."

"He believes completely that they're dead. Just listening to his sorrow was...tough. It's difficult not to take on those emotions when you step into their heads...

"What Daichi did..." Hina struggled to come up with how she felt about it, "Whatever he showed them, whatever he used to break down their minds...that leaves permanent scarring. I don't know if they will ever recover from that, even if somehow they're able to piece their psyche back together . I have no clue how to fix something like that and I have the quirk used to cause it..."

"Then focus on what you can control." He suggested, stepping in front of her to stop their walking. She looked up at him, seeing the determination of a professional hero return to his eyes. "Train your quirk to protect yourself. That's all you have the power to control right now. So do what you can and let others who can help worry about the rest. And if we're lucky, you'll figure something out to help them as you go."

Hina watched him for a second, eyes flicking between his, unsure of what to say. His infallible logic and unwavering bravery was more than she cold handle sometimes. Altogether, he was a hero she strived to be more like. Strong and brave and admirable.

"I don't know how you do it, Aizawa...you never seemed fazed by anything. You always have a plan for when things go wrong. You're a remarkable man."

"I'm not fearless, Scarlet." He said, looking away in embarrassment at her words. "I just know what I can and can't control. It's logical." His hands tucked themselves into his pockets. She conjured up a small smile and a shake of her head, then moved to stand in his line of sight again. He could be so formal all the time.

"You can call me Hina, you know. All my friends do."

Aizawa didn't seem to know how to respond and simply stared at her with a strange expression, before turning back the direction they were heading.

"Come on, let's get you home." He said, and she followed obediently.

* * *

A/N- Well I hope this was at least worth the wait. As always, don't forget to leave a review letting me know what you think!


	14. Chapter 14

A/N- My apologies for not posting this sooner. I had the chapter done last night but forgot to post it because I was setting up my Christmas tree. :) Hope you all enjoy!

**Guest- **Hmm, I didn't even think about that until now. You have a good point! Self-perception does have a large part in general ability. :)

**Leoki-** I live for Aizawa fluff. ;)

**PippinsSqueaks- **:D

**curlystruggle- **Koda is a cinnamon roll and needs to be protected at all costs. Fight me, lol. And Aizawa is a shy boi who needs some time, but he'll get there! :P

Onwards!

* * *

"Welcome back, class!" Hina exclaimed clasping her hands together as the bell rang to indicate the start of the lesson. Her bright smile was met with a mix of exhausted expressions and relieved sighs from class 1-A to be back to some sense of normalcy. Some were a little off put to be back in class, no doubt having had a wonderful time during their internships, but a majority didn't seem all that affected. Huh. She hadn't expected this. Most students she'd taught years previously had wanted to stick around with their internship for much longer.

"I hope your internships went well, and that you learned something new and exciting while away." An indistinguishable grumble was heard through the students, but Hina ignored it to walk back around her desk to sit down. "Now that you've experienced an inkling of what being a hero is like, are there any questions about what you've learned, or things that weren't explained?"

Momo's hand raised with reluctance. Her face was a mix of concern and some sort of guilt. "Hitagawa Sensei...will we have another opportunity to work as an intern?"

The redhead frowned slightly, head tilting. "Unfortunately, no. Is there something the matter, Momo?"

"Well..." The young woman pushed her pointer fingers together, "my internship...wasn't what I expected it to be. I feel like I didn't learn as much as I could have if I'd signed up with...someone else."

"I see..." She said, placing her hands on the desk. Mineta and a few other students nodded, sharing the same sentiment. "I'm sorry to hear that it wasn't what you'd hoped for. But like I said, this is the only opportunity the school helps to arrange for the students to participate in internships."

Momo looked down sadly, and some of the others were clearly disappointed by Hina's words. She was careful to keep her expression neutral. Spoiling the fact that they'd participate in work studies in their coming years wasn't something she wanted to do. It would take away the surprise, for one thing, and they had other things to focus on other than something so far from now in the future.

"But it sounds like your experience wasn't entirely useless. You've learned that sometimes being a hero isn't all that it's cracked up to be. It's not all about standing in the limelight or actively helping people like you expect to do. There are caveats to every profession, and heroism is no different." She said. "So while you may have been disappointed that it wasn't what you'd wanted, keep in mind that this is a stark look at what you may be doing in the future. It may not be what you entirely expect."

Several heads nodded sadly, but then she smiled again. "Are there any further questions?"

* * *

For once, Hina didn't mind finishing up her paperwork. Because it was only the first day back from the students' small break from class, there wasn't much to grade. A few surveys and questionnaires about their experience interning to help the agencies, as well as some pop quizzes that will introduce the students to the next section of lessons. All in all, a light work day.

It wasn't long after the school day ended that Nezu called for all of the teachers to assemble in the conference room for a meeting. She didn't recall any sort of memo letting them know there would be one, so she assumed this was an impromptu thing.

The school was quiet, but she bumped into Midnight on her way to the room. She was greeted with a mischievous wink and an arm wrapped around her shoulder.

"So...give me the details." She said happily, ushering them both in the direction of the conference room.

"Details on what?" The redhead questioned in confusion. Midnight only laughed.

"Oh, _you_ know. On what happened after Aizawa _walked you home_ the other night." Was her suggestive reply, backed by an eyebrow waggle.

"Nothing happened..." Hina muttered with a roll of her eyes. "Not everyone has a mind like you, Nemuri. He just walked me there to make sure I didn't black out on the way. I said thanks and he left. That's all."

"Mhmm..." The sensual teacher hummed with a fixed smile. They turned a corner, seeing a few other teachers up ahead entering the room at the end of the hall. "This is all part of your plan to just be 'friends' with him, right?"

"Nothing. Happened." Hina reiterated again. The man in question suddenly appeared from an intersecting hallway in front of them, and he turned towards the conference room without noticing them at all. Hina turned her voice down to a whisper so he wouldn't accidentally overhear. "And you know that's not what I meant when I said that!"

"Sure, sure. Keep telling yourself that. Just know you're not off the hook yet." Midnight laughed, finally releasing her as the reached the doorway. "I'll find out one way or another."

"Tch..." Hina shook her head, saying nothing more as they entered.

Each teacher took their seats, and the redhead made sure to take a seat far away from Midnight. The art teacher definitely noticed, and shot her an amused grin from across the table. The only thing she got back in response was a half-hearted glare from her friend.

Nezu finally took his seat at the center chair and placed his paws on the table. "Thank you for coming on such a short notice, all of you. I did not anticipate having to hold this meeting, but I believe it is necessary."

"Is this about the practical exams?" Cementoss asked thoughtfully, and the dog-mouse-bear nodded with a smile.

"Exactly."

"Seems like the students know what they'll be up against...I've already heard the rumors going around about what they'd be facing." Present Mic said with crossed arms beside Hina, obviously put out by that fact. He enjoyed seeing the surprise and slight terror on their faces when they'd first encountered the robots in the entrance exam and the sports festival.

"It'll give them more time to prepare, if anything." Ectoplasm said with a shrug.

Nezu held up a paw to stop their line of thinking. "Not necessarily. Normally, we'd move forward with the same practical exam we've had for previous years, but the recent villain attacks have made me reconsider. I'm not confident the robots alone would be sufficient challenge to prepare the students for future encounters."

Hina winced uncomfortably. "You sound certain it _will_ happen again."

"Given the circumstances, it would be negligent to assume otherwise." Nezu remarked to her calmly, before addressing the rest of the room. "As the times change, we must also change to meet these new dangers on equal footing. It is clear that this generation of heroes has already gotten a taste of the real thing. I feel anything less of a challenge would only hinder their progress. That is why I'm advocating for the students to face the UA staff as their exam opponents."

General surprise filtered through the room, but it only took a moment for them to understand his line of reasoning. They didn't have any other available opponents that were more difficult than the training robots, and it was totally illegal to have them face real criminals or villains. The teachers were a good middle ground that would satisfy the challenge Nezu was looking for.

"Are we certain they're ready to face certified pros?" Snipe questioned, mostly on board with the idea but still somewhat concerned. "There's an obvious power gap and disadvantage to the students here."

"We can introduce a handicap to the teachers to even the odds." Aizawa spoke up, putting forth his own idea.

Power Loader scratched his head thoughtfully. Well, more accurately, his metal helmet. "Hmm...using equipment as a hinderance would make the most sense since there's less than a week until the exam. I could have my students put together some compact weights or quirk dampeners to reduce speed and reaction times."

"It's a universal limitation, so it could work." Hina mentioned, thinking about it. She wasn't sure how much weight would affect All Might or Cementoss, given their capabilities, but there were few other options to consider. Quirk dampeners were expensive and hard to get ahold of. Even with Power Loader's connections, she doubted he could put together so many in time for the exam.

"I'm not sure weights would affect my quirk to a large degree." Thirteen spoke up, a little reluctant. "I don't want to accidentally injure one of the students. Perhaps I should be excluded from the roster."

"I would accept your request, but I must insist you at least keep an open mind." Nezu responded evenly. "You especially have always been very conscientious about the use of your quirk. The students need to understand and be able to work around a quirk that is objectively very dangerous, and I feel like you would be the best opponent to allow them to learn that from."

After a moment, Thirteen nodded in understanding, and the meeting continued. Everyone seemed on board with the concept of weights as a limitation, so Nezu wrote it down on his paper. "Are there any other concerns before we go forward?"

"One-on-one still seems too difficult." Present Mic pointed out. "Even with weights to inhibit our movements, we've all had years to train our quirks. We'd have to hold ourselves back to give them any sort of chance at passing. They should at least be paired up so the matches don't end within a few minutes."

Nezu nodded thoughtfully, listening to all the teacher's opinions. "I agree. Not only will it exercise their own personal capabilities, but also promote teamwork. Teams should be carefully selected, however, to push their limits as individuals and as groups."

"I may already have a few ideas for class 1-A." Aizawa said, and Nezu nodded for him to continue. "Midoriya and Bakugou do not work well together. While they both inspire the other students to push themselves, together they are horribly inefficient. This might be an opportunity for them to overcome that."

Toshinori, who'd been listening intently up to that point raised a hand. "If I may, I'd like to be the one to test them."

Aizawa looked over at the number one hero and nodded. "They both admire you, so it will be an additional obstacle to overcome the parts of themselves that see you as their idol."

"A wonderful idea!" Nezu said, writing it all down in his notebook. "Are there any others you believe should be paired?"

Aizawa listed out a few more potential teams, but Hina's thoughts had already began to drift off by then. Mic's comment about training their quirks for years had hit her somewhere deep. Now that she thought about it, was she even a challenge for her own students? Physically, it would make sense that most could probably overpower her quickly, but even with her recent trainings she wasn't confident she could be a very good opponent for any of her students.

Her brow furrowed, and she tried getting herself back on track. All this uncertainty needed to be addressed. She was a UA teacher. She had a very good handle over her quirk. And damn it all, Hina thought that she was a pretty creative person. Even if a situation wasn't ideal for her quirk type, she'd made it this far with her quick thinking.

It helped for a moment, but her self esteem would take a bit more than that to overcome.

Aizawa had finished talking, and she glanced up to watch Nezu finish writing something in his notebook. He smiled a moment later and set the paper aside. "Very good. I feel confident with these teams and their respective opponents. Now, onto class 1-B..."

* * *

The meeting had come to a close. With teams selected, the exams were set.

Hina was one of the first teachers out of the conference room, intent on going home to train some more. Or...maybe the gym. She hadn't gone in the past little while, and she needed to keep herself physically fit. Her speed and nimbleness was what kept her out of most of the danger anyway. Losing them would severely impact her position as a hero.

She was halfway down the hallway before hearing another pair of footsteps behind her. Her head turned and she spotted Aizawa a few steps behind her. Her mouth twitched upwards in a small smile. "Oh, hello."

He frowned slightly, watching her face as she slowed for a moment so they could walk side by side down the hall. "Is something wrong?" He questioned, and she winced.

"No?"

His incredulous, silent stare made her squirm until she gave in and sighed. "It really doesn't matter much. I shouldn't even be disappointed by it."

"What is it?"

"...It's difficult not to feel inadequate in comparison to the rest of the teachers." She admitted with a grimace, rubbing the back of her neck uncomfortably. "I know I'm not the only teacher that won't be testing the students, and I know I'm probably just not suited for this sort of exam, but...ugh, I don't know what I'm expecting. I sound pathetic."

"The problem is you comparing yourself to everyone in the first place." Aizawa stated bluntly. "It's unproductive and doesn't help you."

Hina sighed with a nod. "I know...it's a work in progress."

"If you wanted to participate in the exam, you should have spoken up." He said, glancing her way. The only person stopping you was yourself."

"Yeah..." Everything he was saying made sense, but her own insecurities made it difficult to really absorb what it all meant. "If I felt like I was better suited to actually assess the students, then maybe I would have said something. Who knows if I would even pose much challenge anyway?"

Aizawa didn't say anything, but she saw his head upturn to glance at a clock on the wall as they passed by. As they neared the school's main entrance lobby, he turned away from the doors and headed the opposite direction. "Come with me."

"Why?"

"You'll see." Was all he said.

Curiosity getting the better of her, and because she always enjoyed their time together, Hina did as he told her to while shrugging her purse higher up on her shoulder.

He took her outside on the other side of the building, where the P.E. Grounds were. It was growing close to the evening, but the sun still painted the clouds a mix of colors as it set. She appreciated the view until Aizawa stopped in the middle of the open dirt plot of land they usually held the outdoor assessments on and turned to regard her.

"What are we doing here?" She asked again, and he crossed his arms.

"Fight against me."

She stopped short, brows rising in surprise. "Fight...against you? Why?"

"If you're serious about training yourself to be stronger, you shouldn't just focus on your quirk, and speed will only get you so far." He stated. "Show me what you can do, and maybe I can help train you in things you need improvement on."

Biting her lip, Hina looked around, still reluctant. "I'm not sure doing this here is a good idea. If any of the students see, they might think it's ok to have their own private training sessions between themselves."

"Class is over. There's no one here right now."

"I suppose, but-"

His expression hardened. "Get over your insecurities, Scarlet. No more excuses. You want to protect them? The only way to keep them safe is to push past what makes you weak. Unless all of that was just a lie?"

The way he said it was accusatory, rude even. It should have pissed her off. But it didn't. Treating everyone with kindness often meant that they did the same to her in return. Other than a little teasing from Midnight and the others, she couldn't remember the last time someone had outright been disrespectful to her like that. And maybe that was exactly what she needed. That little jolt to make her realize that all this pussyfooting around and feeling sorry for herself was ridiculous and unbecoming of her position. Or maybe it was the very fact that it came from him, of all people, the most logical man she knew.

For now, she'd push the horrible self-doubt down to the furthest parts of her mind and take this seriously. Aizawa stood waiting for her next move, hands stuffed in his pockets casually. Maybe he expected her to walk away. Well...if he'd been hoping to goad her into fighting him, he'd succeeded.

She tossed her bag to the side and stepped away from it to give her some space. The indecision had faded from her stance. "It wasn't."

Aizawa's hands came out of his pockets, and he reached up to put on his yellow, protective goggles. "Good."

His hair lifted from it's relaxed position, and the capture weapon began coiling fluidly around him, like a snake waiting for prey. Truth be told, to be on the receiving end of it was a little intimidating, but she couldn't think about that right now. If she didn't take this seriously, she'd be taken down in a second. Living that down would be nigh impossible.

"I won't go easy on you." Eraserhead promised, relaxing a bit so he wasn't so rigid, ready to react to anything she might do. Scarlet Seer smiled.

"Good."

Tying up her hair so it would stay out of her face, she debated whether to try using her quirk on him at all or to stick exclusively with her physical capabilities, however limited they were. The fact that he knew what her quirk was and could instantly negate it posed disadvantageous to her. He wasn't immediately trying to erase it, though, so perhaps he'd allow her a single attempt to demonstrate how she'd typically use it in combat. Trying to use it over and over might cause her to lose focus, though. She'd have to be careful.

The end of his capture weapon lashed out with sudden speed, but she had been prepared for it and dodged to the left. Using the momentum from her initial movement, she began running in an arc on his left side, mindful of the second end of his weapon and watching to see if he would deploy it.

She heard a _'whooshing'_ behind her and reflexively ducked down in a slide. The ribbon-like weapon rushed just above her head. She didn't stay in place too long, knowing that he could redirect it in whatever way he saw fit. Staying on her feet and in motion was the only way to combat it in the first place.

He was on the move now, running the opposite direction to keep his distance from her and keep his long-range advantage. It was a game of cat and mouse now.

She followed after him, dodging and weaving past the ends of his capture weapon when he tried to wrap it around her. She extended her quirk, touching upon his mind to try reading his movements to easily predict how to evade his attacks. Whereas Eraserhead had to maintain constant contact, she had the advantage of being able to at least blink once she established a connection.

They danced around each other, with him trying time and time again to restrain her and Scarlet Seer slowly gaining more ground as her speed kept her one step ahead. But the closer she got to him, the faster she'd have to react to his capture weapon. She felt the ribbon brush past the edge of her boot, and she yanked it out of the way quickly.

_From behind,_ she felt more as instinct rather than heard from his mind, and leaped to the right as his capture weapon intersected where she had just been a moment ago, the ribbons crossing over each other before looping to head towards her again. She sprang back into action, heading straight towards him now rather than skirting along his peripherals.

She came up with an idea. It was shaky, but perhaps it would work. Knowing his quirk, she'd only get one shot at it, so it had to be perfect. The distance was closing between them. Scarlet Seer waited until the timing was _just_ right...

_"Aizawa Sensei!"_ She projected to his mind in Midoriya's voice, focused off to his right side and behind him, closer toward the school building. She knew that alone wouldn't be enough to convince him it was real, though. So she added a little more with it.

_"Deku, you damn nerd! Don't run off and snitch to a teacher!"_ She sent in Bakugou's voice, and she directed a fake distracted glance to his right just to sell it.

It worked. She saw his moment of hesitation, that tiny second of doubt and uncertainty as he turned his head towards the where the noise was supposedly coming from. One voice would be suspicious, but two right after the other, of two different people no less, felt more genuine. Scarlet Seer smiled a little as his ribbons receded due to his inattention, before using her chance to get in close.

Putting her back into it, she sent a solid punch into Eraserhead's face as he faced forward again, careful not to aim it at the scar from his battle from USJ. She didn't want to unintentionally cause more damage, but felt it necessary not to hold back since he had no intention of doing so. He grunted in surprise, but Eraserhead was surprisingly durable, and managed not to stagger too greatly from the blow.

Scarlet Seer used the new angle to drive her elbow backwards into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him briefly, but he seemed to have recovered from her distraction. She caught a flash of red eyes behind his goggles and she felt her quirk's reach in his mind give way. Spinning to follow the movement of his stagger, he swiped his leg out and caught her in the shoulder, forcing her away from him with a powerful kick. The force behind it probably bruised her shoulder, if anything. She nearly lost her balance, wobbling a bit.

Her boots slid on the dirt for a few feet, but she immediately went back on the offensive, intent not to lose her foothold now that she was in close. Eraserhead's capture weapon had returned to floating around his neck and moved no further. He met her punch with a deflect, and they began a battle of melee fighting.

He was much stronger than her physically, every blow backed by muscle and strength that Hina did not possess. Each attempt at a block felt like she was being beaten down, like a hammer banging consistently at a weakening wall. Scarlet Seer's attacks were quick and did not penetrate very far. However, she was constantly moving, using her small frame and lithe movements to target weak points and vulnerable spots on his body before he had a chance to react.

Both were fast and focused, neither giving much attention to anything other than each other while they sparred. The fact that the sky had darkened into a navy blue hue was lost to them both, and the area was lit only by the solitary lamp post nearby.

Scarlet Seer's breath was heavy with all of the effort she'd exuded during their fight. The concept of time was far too complicated for her to think about right now, but it felt like they'd only just began their little sparring match. She would have been surprised by how long they'd actually been going for.

She was caught by surprise when, instead of blocking a punch like she expected, Eraserhead simply stepped out of the way. Scarlet Seer's own momentum sent her stumbling forward. She tried turning but the damage was done. She felt his strong hand grip her wrist and pull her backwards, his foot tripping her up. With a cry of surprise, she was sent unceremoniously into the dirt, one of his knees pressing itself into her back.

She panted into the ground, trying to catch her breath. Now that the world was coming back to her, her eyebrows shot up when she heard his own labored breathing. As if she'd actually been giving him a run for his money. That didn't seem right. He was Eraserhead, after all. A very combat-efficient pro hero. And she was...her. Ah, there was her insecurities coming back...

"That wasn't bad, you know." Aizawa said as he took off his goggles, still trying to get his breath back. His hair had fallen back into place and the ribbons were resting on his shoulders once more. "You're not as useless in a fight as you seem to think."

"It didn't feel like I lasted very long." She replied, laying her head on it's side so she could see him out of the corner of her vision. Hina watched him check his phone in his pocket, before shrugging.

"15 minutes is still more than most of the villains get." He said, showing her the time on the screen. Her expression turned to one of surprise, and he pocketed the device again. "Any longer and I'm not as effective anyway."

"Still, I can see why you're a good fit for 1-A." She said with a small smile. It faltered a little at the sudden realization that Aizawa hadn't let go of her wrist yet, and his knee was still planted in the middle of her back. It wasn't painful, per se, but their breathing and the position just made it seem a little...more meaningful.

Reigning in her oncoming dirty thoughts before they got out of hand, she squirmed in his grasp. "Umm...you can let go now." She said.

"Right..." His hand released her wrist and the weight pressing down on her from above lifted. She pushed herself up into a sitting position and faced across from him.

"So, what's my final grade?" She asked jokingly, and he shook his head.

"Your speed and agility are impressive. They're your best assets. If you can figure out a way to implement more of your quirk into your combat style, it would make a big difference."

Hina nodded, expecting as much but still felt an inner warmth at hearing his praise. "I have a few things in mind. It's just a matter of learning them and putting them into practice. Daichi's been able to project images for years, but I was never comfortable with going that far."

"Why? It sounds very useful in combat." He asked.

"It always seemed too invasive. I didn't want to end up accidentally traumatizing someone or causing more damage than was necessary. I didn't want to give the public any cause for concern after he was arrested." She shrugged, but then rolled her shoulder a few times when it felt stiff. "You nailed me pretty good, you know."

The moment the word 'nailed' left her mouth she inwardly cringed, already struggling to keep her sultry thoughts at bay.

"So did you." He mentioned, rubbing along his jaw to ease some sort of pain or ache. She grimaced.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. I didn't injure you, did I?" She unconsciously reached forward to tilt his face more towards the light of the lamp post beside them to see if there was anything left over. His chin was scruffy from his 5 o'clock shadow. He didn't seem to mind and let her move his face as she wanted to.

"I'm fine." She let go of his face and he stood. He reached down and Hina eagerly accepted his hand to help her to her feet, snatching her purse in the process.

"Thank you for telling me what I needed to hear, by the way." She said as they began walking towards the doors of the school. He looked at her and she smiled. "I know I need to be more confident in my abilities, but I sink back into being insecure most of the time. Maybe I just need a rough reminder every now and then to get me back in line."

Aizawa shrugged. "We can spar a few times a week, if you want. I can help you get stronger."

"Really?" She perked up, her head tilting with a mix of curiosity and excitement. The idea of getting to spend more time with him outside of work, while also furthering her goal of being more reliable as a hero was very appealing. And he'd even offered it outright. Hina had no need to ask.

"I don't mind the practice." He replied evenly, and her smile widened.

"I would like that very much."

Hina could have sworn she saw the corner of his mouth twitch in an almost-smile, but it was getting dark and the light wasn't reliable. He stared at her a moment before facing forward again, and they began their trek towards their respective homes.

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A/N- I hope the sparring scene was acceptable. It's hard to gauge fight scenes, so please let me know if it flowed well, or nay improvements I can make to it, thank you!


	15. Chapter 15

A/N- A little bit shorter of a chapter this time around, but still fun! Seemed like you guys enjoyed Aizawa's and Hina's sparring session, so here's some more fighting for you to feast your eyes on.

**RHatch89-** Thank you! I hope you're enjoying the story so far!

**akagami hime chan- **Glad you liked it! Fight scenes are hard lol. :) It's a wonder we all find him so attractive, what with him looking like a hobo, but oh well!

Onwards!

* * *

Scarlet Seer's breathing came out in hard pants. Night had fallen and the lone lamp post beside the P.E. Grounds was her sole illumination in the darkness. On a normal night, she might stop and admire the sight, but there were currently more pressing matters to attend to. She jumped backwards as the carbon fiber, steel alloy ribbons swooped in towards her, then sprinted forward a moment later to avoid the second end of the capture weapon coming from the right side.

Eraserhead wasn't giving her any time to think, coming at her with attack after attack in rapid succession. Up to this point she hadn't been able to get a hit on him, despite having full use of her quirk. The wind whipped at her sweat-dampened forehead as she ran, trying desperately to dodge the next one, feeling the '_whoosh'_ of air as it soared past her neck.

_**"You can't avoid them forever. At this rate, you'll tire out before you can go on the offensive."**_

_"I'm aware of that."_

_**"Then do something about it."**_

Gritting her teeth, Scarlet Seer tried taking a diagonal path through the capture weapon's reach in an attempt to catch him off guard, but he corrected their trajectories quickly and cut her off, forcing her backwards to avoid being caught again.

_"I could do something about it if you stopped attacking me, you know."_

**_"You think a villain is going to let you prepare an attack in the middle of a fight?"_**

The fact that he was right wasn't making his words any less frustrating. She'd been unsuccessful so far in accomplishing what this training had even set out to do, which was projecting images into someone's head. Daichi had mastered the technique years ago, and she knew if she had a chance of facing him again, she'd need to know it too. Hina had originally just wanted to sit in the gardens and meditate with him in a calm environment, but Aizawa had suggested to practice while actively fighting, so as to get used to the feeling in a real situation.

She tried extending her quirk further, but staying still like she had the instinct to do when using it was her weakness. The capture weapon lashed out, and she was forced to put her full focus back onto evading his attacks.

_"Dammit..."_

**_"I told you I wouldn't go easy."_**

_"Do you even possess the ability to go easy on someone?"_ She projected to him with a mix of frustration and amusement, barely finishing the thought before having to propel herself to the left again to avoid his capture weapon.

**_"Yes, but what would the point be?"_** He thought seriously. **_"You just need to try harder."_**

She tried running after him, keeping her quirk on him. She already had a mild headache, and the intense spar was exacerbating the pain. It pounded at her skull, throbbing in a regular rhythm.

_"Yeah. Great. Thanks for letting me know. I was wondering what I was supposed to do now."_ She thought sarcastically, letting out a huff of breath. Focusing on fighting and using her quirk at the same time was already hard enough. Using any additional brain function on opening her mouth to speak was too much. For now, she simply stuck to her quirk to communicate.

Scarlet Seer frowned when he kept his distance from her as she ran forward. She tried closing in but he was fast.

**_"If you have time to be snarky, you have time to get in my head."_**

_"Tch...No need to be an ass about it though."_

**_"Isn't that exactly what you needed a few days ago?"_** Eraserhead pointed out, referring to what she'd told him during their first training. She couldn't help but smile ruefully.

_"Guess you have a point. There's a reason I keep you around."_

**_"Less thinking, more doing."_** Was his pointed retort, obviously waiting for her to do something already.

The redhead pushed her quirk further, digging into his head deeper than the surface-level needed to read his thoughts and project her own. Ignoring the sharp pain that snapped through her head, Scarlet Seer traversed to his center mind, pushing something that might distract-

The feeling of the capture weapon wrapping around her midsection snapped her out of his head, and she collapsed to the ground unceremoniously with a yelp of surprise. Despite knowing it was futile she couldn't help but wriggle in place to try getting out of the wrap. Her arms were pinned uncomfortably at her sides, and Aizawa walked closer to her as he took off his goggles.

"So-" He started.

"I know, I know..." She heaved out, still trying to gain her breath back while she was restricted by his capture weapon. "Try harder. I need to focus. And everything else you've been telling me."

He just watched her curiously, but eventually let up his weapon and unfurled her from it's binding. It gathered up around his neck as she pushed into a sitting position on the ground, still tired from their last bout. She brushed back the strands of hair that had escaped from her hair tie.

"Let's take a break." He stated, walking over to the lamp post where a few bottles of water were sitting. He'd anticipated that they'd be there awhile; Hina still hadn't made any progress on furthering her image projection. Day three of training and nothing to show for it was a little disheartening, but thinking back on his capture weapon training, he knew that sometimes these things were just slow to start out.

Hina stood and grabbed her water, wandering over to the school building's wall to lean against. Aizawa followed after, content to go wherever she wanted to sit and relax for a bit. The bricks felt cool against her skin, and the gentle wind was doing wonders for cooling her down.

For several minutes they just sat there in silence, recovering from their last spar and replenishing their hydration. It was hard work, and not only was she gaining a lot of practice with using her quirk in combat, but Aizawa proved to be a very physically challenging opponent as well, forcing her to constantly be on the move and never stay in one spot for too long. It was good practice for actual combat, where you had to keep on your toes at any given moment.

But despite the growing headache and shaky limbs, Hina was having a great time. It was fun to test herself against him, and without realizing it until now, she was slowly growing more confident with her quirk and her abilities. Knowing she could stand her own against the likes of Aizawa was doing more for her confidence than any sort of pep talk could.

Halfway through her water bottle, she looked up at the night, and heard the distance siren of a police vehicle. "Are you still patrolling tonight after our training?" She suddenly asked out of curiosity.

Aizawa nodded. "Yeah."

"Hopefully you won't be all worn out because of me right before you start." She said sheepishly, not wanting to be an inconvenience to him in any way. Nor did she want him getting hurt because he wasn't at his best. That would weigh heavily on her.

"Don't worry about it. I'll be fine." He replied evenly, expression calm as his eyes tracked the direction from where the siren was going. It faded away after a moment, too far to hear properly. "I actually forgot how much I like sparring before my patrols."

"You do?" She asked, turning towards him. "Why's that?"

Aizawa shrugged, setting the water bottle down beside him. "Mic and I used to spar all the time back in high school and after we got our provisional licenses. It reminds me of that, I guess. Training with him was one of the few things I enjoyed from UA."

"Nothing's stopping you from doing it again, you know." She pointed out, but he shook his head.

"We've both got jobs and responsibilities now. When he's not teaching, Mic's hosting his radio show. And when he's not doing that, I've got papers to grade and students to discipline." His eyes rolled a bit and she smiled. "We never seem to have time away from work to socialize."

Hina nodded thoughtfully. "Well, at least you're still close friends. And I'm pretty lucky then to be able to see you so much in my free time. And for having you agree to help me train my quirk in whatever time you do have to yourself."

"Like I said. I don't mind." He reminded her, and she tilted her head with a wider smile.

"You know, as much as I might complain in the heat of the moment, I do enjoy our training. It does way more for me than just going to the gym after work twice a week." She commented, briefly noticing that he had glanced down at her mouth when she'd smiled. It was over as soon as she'd noticed it.

Did she have something in her teeth? Covering it up with drinking from her bottle, he looked away and the moment had passed. While he wasn't looking, she ran her tongue over the front of her teeth, hoping nothing was plainly stuck there.

Her headache hadn't gone away-nor would it for several hours at the rate she'd been using her quirk-but she still felt physically rested enough to continue. She jumped up, taking one last swig of her water before wandering back over to their starting point. "Should we keep going?"

Aizawa nodded and straightened up, standing away from her as she got ready. The goggles were put back into place, blocking his eyes from her, but she didn't need to see them in order to connect. Her eyes flared a shade of glowing cyan, and Eraserhead's hair began floating upwards in response.

Instead of starting out with just one capture weapon, he sent both shooting forward on either side of her and she leapt backwards out of the way as they intersected. With a small grin, Scarlet Seer formulated an idea. The ends of the weapon retracted back to Eraserhead, and he grabbed a hold of one end, sending it directly at her with a powerful toss.

At the last moment, she sidestepped out of it's way, feeling the rush of air as it nearly brushed her body. But instead of keeping a far distance, she latched onto the cloth and yanked herself forward with it.

Eraserhead's expression changed to one of surprise as he was caught off balance. He stumbled forward, and Scarlet Seer charged forward, her quirk flashing out with full power during his moment of instability.

She delved into his mind, making sure to keep the majority of her consciousness back so she would still be aware of the battle. A soft gray color accompanied her, more of a feeling than an actual visual. Scarlet Seer shook her head, going straight for the center of his mind and willing an image of a massive tiger beside her to manifest itself. It was so clear within her own mind, but he didn't seem to react other than dodging the kick aimed at his midsection by ducking down.

Pressing her lips together, the telepath broke the deep connection when he reached to her wrists to subdue her. She broke free before he could get a decent grip and flipped backwards to give her some room. Her eyes flared again as he prepared another capture weapon attack.

_"Come on..."_ She thought to herself, but ended up projecting it directly into his head. She saw his amused half-grin as he directed another attack her way with his weapon.

**_"Having a bit of trouble?"_** He asked, obviously amused by her frustration. At first she didn't have time to reply, focused on outmaneuvering the carbon-fiber cloths streaming past her.

_"Shut up."_ Was her belated and short reply.

**_"I don't have all night."_ **He added.

_"Maybe if you'd zip it I could concentrate and this would be over with faster."_ Was her exasperated reply, busy evading his ribbons to take the edge out of her thoughts. She could audibly hear his huffed out breath of what she assumed to be laughter. Finding a small opening while Eraserhead prepared another attack, she tried yet another attempt at projecting an image.

She forced her way in through his head, this time using her own consciousness to try forcing the image of a pack of wild wolves rushing towards him from behind her. No reaction. Damn it, what was she doing wrong?

She pushed harder, trying to figure out what she needed to change in order to get the end result she was looking for. She saw him wince with pain and immediately pulled back, worried she had hurt him somehow. Her moment of concern cost her, however.

She felt one of the ends of his capture weapon wrap around her ankle, and she was hauled into the air by the appendage. Her connection was broken as she tried scrambling for purchase on the ground but found none, and the cloth secured itself around the top of the lamp post, dangling her there around eye level. She swung with some force, letting her arms limply dangle down towards the ground. Aizawa approached casually, stopping her swinging with a hand.

"Ok, now you're just teasing me..." She said, then frowned with worry. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

He took his goggles off and shook his head. "Just a bit of pressure. No damage done."

"Ok, good..." She sighed out, having been terrified that she'd done some sort of irreversible damage she hadn't intended. It was moments like this when using her quirk made her nervous. Then, she crossed her arms with a pout, thinking about their session. "Egging me on like that didn't really help the matter, you know."

He shrugged, obviously amused. "Heroes deal with taunting all the time. You'll have to get used to it."

Hina's eyes narrowed, and her arms remained crossed. He was right, of course. But how she wished to knock the smugness from his eyes. He was enjoying the teasing a bit too much right now. She shook her head, wishing that she could make him at least eat his words.

She thought it funny, imagining herself with snakes for hair and cat-like yellow eyes and turning him to stone like medusa. What she didn't anticipate was his self-satisfied grin fading and him stepping backwards with wide eyes.

"What did you just see?" She asked hurriedly, growing excited with this new and unexpected development.

"Snakes and yellow eyes." He said, still staring at her strangely.

Hina's expression turned inward, trying to think back to what she'd done without intending to to even project an image in the first place. It had felt so natural, the way she'd connected to his mind that she hadn't even realized she'd done it. She tried imagining herself with sparkly, blue hair, and his expression changed again, raising an eyebrow at how ridiculous she looked.

"What? Blue isn't a good look for me?" She asked with a laugh.

"I prefer the red." He shook his head. "It definitely seems like you figured it out, though."

Hina smiled excitedly. "This whole time I've been trying to just force an image into your mind's center, but it only caused you pressure. But when I send it to a certain part of your psyche, the one where memories are stored, then it seems to work. I'm not sure what the difference is, but apparently that's all there is to it."

"I see..." He trailed off, watching curiously as her face morphed into a lion, then a bear, before finally All Might. Still upside down, she gave his signature thumbs up and smiled.

"Plus Ultra!" She joked, managing to alter her voice to sound exactly like him. Rolling his eyes, he began releasing the capture weapon from the lamp post.

"I'd say that's enough for now." He remarked, reaching out to grab her arm and ease her down from her predicament so she didn't fall onto her face as soon as the capture weapon unfurled.

Her feet settled themselves gently on the ground, guided both by Aizawa's grip and the capture weapon being manipulated to not just immediately drop her. She brushed herself off, adjusting her hair before looking at him with a smile. "Thank you."

The sound of hissing made him look down, and where his capture weapon had been just a moment ago was now a coil of a handful of snakes. He stiffened out of reflex, staring into the beady eyes of the scaled creatures now circling his neck.

He glanced back up at her to see her smile still in place, but now taking on a more predatory quality. "That's for all the teasing, by the way."

"Noted." He said, eyes returning to the still-hissing reptiles. He knew full well they weren't real, but they looked and sounded that way. If they bit him, would he actually feel the pain accompanying it? He wasn't too eager to find out. "Can we put the snakes away now?"

Hina laughed sweetly, and the hissing stopped. All that was around his neck now was his capture weapon, back to normal. His body relaxed and she stooped to grab her bag from the ground. Slinging it over her shoulder, she sauntered past him.

"This migraine is killing me, so...I think we should end it here. My quirk's had enough." He nodded, and she raised a hand in farewell behind her. "Thanks for the training, Aizawa."

He hummed, watching her go. When she disappeared inside the school building, he looked towards the city and, using his capture weapon to latch onto the nearest tree, propelled himself onto the phone lines to run towards the city to begin his patrol.

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A/N- I hope this chapter was just as entertaining as the last one. I had a lot of fun writing it for certain! As always, don't forget to let me know what you thought in a review, as your feedback is super helpful!


	16. Chapter 16

A/N-I'm back again! This chapter is slightly shorter than the previous ones, but hopefully still as entertaining. I hope you enjoy!

**RHatch89-** Thanks!

**akagami hime chan-** Wink wink, I catch your drift, my friend. ;)

Onwards!

* * *

Perhaps one of the things Hina liked least about her job was creating lesson plans. Teaching the students the material was a highlight of her career, and she definitely enjoyed answering questions and helping to educate them with things they'd need to know later in life. Preparing the youth for their lives as adults was rewarding in of itself. It was one of the reasons she had agreed to be a teacher at UA when Nezu had requested she work for them. But planning and organizing the lessons for the upcoming months were painstaking and often times headache-inducing.

It was mid-month, meaning she had plenty of time to actually come up with the majority of the content for next month's plan, but she hated putting it off until the last minute like some teachers did. She had sworn off Midnight and Present Mic's 'procrastination parties' as Hina had so lovingly dubbed them, after last year they'd stayed up until 3 in the morning to finish up all of the paperwork. Going to work that day had been tedious and soul-sucking, to say the least.

Class wouldn't start for another hour-she'd gotten up extremely early without any success of going back to sleep-and most of the staff were not in the office this early. Cementoss was notorious for getting to work much earlier than necessary, so she expected him to be somewhere on the grounds. It wouldn't surprise her if he was meditating in the gardens.

Her pen scratched across her lesson journal, and the tick of the clock overhead accompanied the strokes at precise moments. The air felt stale and still, chilled from the air conditioning system throughout the school building. Finishing her latest sentence, she read over what she'd written down so far, making sure it made sense after the fact.

Keeping the material smoothly flowing throughout the month really helped the student retain the information. Bouncing around subjects that had nothing to do with each other could cause confusion, and Hina did her best to prevent that whenever possible. Not only that, but it lessened her own confusion when grading or compiling her files.

Her eyes glanced up at the empty seats of her classroom, and she stared off into space for a few minutes. Tired and lacking stimulus. In her trance, she didn't notice the sound of footsteps in the hallway outside her classroom.

"Hina, my dear!" Nemuri exclaimed, slamming open the door with a snap.

"AHH!" The redhead yelled, startled painfully in her seat. Her body felt a sudden jolt of panic as her friend entered the room in a flourish, and her heart began pounding hard against her ribcage. Once the moment passed, she slumped in her chair and dragged her hands down her face. "God dammit, Nemuri..."

The art teacher smiled proudly, closing the door behind her gently. Her hips swayed as she sauntered over to her coworker's desk, and she leaned down to face the poor startled woman. "You've managed to avoid me this long, but now you've got no excuse. Out with it. What's between you and Aizawa?"

Hina's head shook instinctively. "Are you really doing this now? There's not-"

"Ah ah ah!" Nemuri's finger shot out and pressed against Hina's mouth, shutting her up. "No lying. Spill the tea, give me the juicy bits, start talking. I _know_ you're hiding something and as your friend I'm obligated to force the info out of you."

Hina blinked up at her friend blandly. She pushed her hand out of her face, shaking her head. "I'm telling you, there is nothing between us."

"Come on now..." Nemuri pouted, obviously unconvinced. "You tell me that you're making it your mission to get close to him. You start acting weird about it after the night at the bar, and now he's training you after hours. What do you expect me to think?"

"How do you know about the training?" She asked, trying and failing to make her voice sound unconcerned. She didn't want it getting around that she needed additional training because she was weak.

Nemuri shrugged. "Mic saw you guys on the P.E. Grounds yesterday. And the day before that."

Hina's cheeks tinted red, slightly embarrassed that her training with Aizawa wasn't as private as she'd been hoping to keep it. It wasn't Aizawa that made her embarrassed, but her own need for the training itself. Her insecurity wasn't something she wanted to be a universally known fact among the staff. She looked away, and Nemuri must have sensed that that line of discussion was making her uncomfortable.

"Hey, I'm not mocking you for the extra training. I doubt anyone here even thinks twice about it." Nemuri said gently with a genuine smile. "I'm just telling you how I know. Besides, I'm your friend, you can tell me anything. Especially about any post-training _'recreation'_ that might occur afterwards."

Ah, right back to typical Nemuri. She sighed, staring at her in annoyance. It was plain to see that she wouldn't let this go, no matter how strongly Hina denied it. It would probably save her several headaches later on if she just gossiped with her now. "If I tell you what happened at the bar, will you stop pestering me? And swear not to mention the training to anyone?"

The art teacher reached crouched down and placed her head in her hands, watching Hina expectantly with a satisfied smile that was transparent how she knew she'd won. "Let's hear it!" There wasn't exactly a promise anywhere in there, but Hina would have to take what she could get.

The redhead debated withholding the most embarrassing of the information, but Nemuri was like a bloodhound, able to sniff out lies or a lack or detail in most of her stories. There was no point. "There really isn't much to say...I talked to Aizawa about getting to know him better, since we aren't as close as we could be. I told him I just wanted to be his friend, and he said that he'd always thought we were friends anyway."

"Aww..." Nemuri cooed, and Hina narrowed her eyes, not appreciating her commentary.

"Don't make fun of this."

"I'm not!" She defended, spreading her hands. "Aizawa and friendship have just never really gone together well, so I'm glad he thinks of you as a friend. He could use more people that bring out the best in him in his life."

Deciding to ignoring the implications of what she meant behind that, she continued. "I had a few too many shots, and you know how I get when I drink too much-"

"Did you accidentally project?" She guessed, eyebrow raising in amusement. Hina's nod made her smile widen. "What did you say? Was it erotic?"

"No, it was not!" Was her quick defense.

"I saw how you were looking at him." Nemuri's eyes rolled. "If you looked up the definition of 'interest' in the dictionary, the exact expression you had would show up. You _had_ to be thinking of something along those lines."

Hina covered her face with her hands, sighing slowly. This was getting to be more embarrassing then she'd expected. "I...wondered if he had any tattoos under his hero costume..."

"Oh!" Nemuri cried out in surprise, giggling with excitement. "What did he say to that? Did he offer to show you?"

"What? _No!_" Hina uncovered her face, which held a pained expression. "I realized what I did and apologized...It was shameful, I shouldn't have ever thought of it in the first place!"

"Pff. That's not shameful..."

Hina stared at her. "He's my _coworker."_

"So what? And don't be ridiculous, I'm sure half of whatever female fan base he has out there probably wonders the same thing." Nemuri waved it off. "If you find him attractive, then it's only natural you would want to know something like that."

Hina was quiet, and the art teacher looked at her pointedly. "You _do_ find him attractive, don't you?"

It took a second, but she eventually nodded silently. When Nemuri just kept staring, she realized that the quiet acknowledgement was, apparently, not enough for her. "Yes, I do..."

"Great! Then there should be no problem with you two getting together." The art teacher concluded, straightening and placing her hands confidently on her hips. "So stop lying to yourself about the whole 'platonic friendship' thing," she said, using air quotes, "and just tell him how you feel."

"I-" Hina stopped short, unsure what exactly she wanted to say. It was pointless to deny what she felt, as the redhead had already come to terms with it herself. She did like him. She did want to pursue something more with him. But feelings were a complicated business. Unreciprocated ones were even more complex.

Nemuri's eyebrows were raised expectantly, gesturing for her to spit out whatever it was she wanted to say. Hina finally shook her head slowly.

"I just...I..." She stared down at her hands. "This is very new to me. And I don't want to end up ruining the good relationship we do have just because I dive headlong into something I'm not convinced he feels the same way about."

"You're just afraid of rejection, Hina." Nemuri stated. "Everyone is. But one of you has to take the first step if you want anything out of it."

"I know that, but the situation we're in makes it more difficult. I don't know how Aizawa would react to knowing how I feel about him, or if we'd even be able to speak to each other after that. And in a working environment, that's just not practical." She shrugged sadly, having thought about all of this extensively when she was alone at home. "Maybe I'll do something about it eventually, but until I know exactly what he feels, I don't want to cause distance between us."

"You could always just read his mind and know for sure." She suggested, but the serious glare that Hina sent her way stopped the thought. She of all people knew best just how little Hina tolerated people joking about the use of her quirk in a invasive or villainous way. It touched too close to home and reminded her that her quirk, indisputably, could be used in nefarious ways. The art teacher back tracked the conversation.

Nemuri sighed, crossing her arms. "Alright, alright...Seriously, you need to learn to take a risk. How am I supposed to get more juicy gossip if no one ever takes a leap of faith?" Finally, she released her arms and smiled a little. "I don't quite understand you, but ok. Just know I'm trying to get you to do something that I think would make you very happy."

Hina didn't say anything, but glanced at the clock pointedly. "I need to finish my lesson plans. And this better be enough for you to quit bothering me about the night at the bar."

Nemuri gave a wink and a thumbs up, heading towards the doorway of her classroom. "I'll let you get back to work then."

She gave Hina a twiddle of her fingers, and she stepped through the doorway. She closed it with a quiet snap behind her, but something further down the hallway caught her eye. A momentary glance of the ends of ribbons disappearing behind the corner.

Nemuri grinned, heading the opposite direction to go to her own classroom.

* * *

"...it was all like this when I got here this morning." The storage facility manager gestured helplessly to the destruction in the hallway behind him, shaking his head. He was obviously overwhelmed with the situation at hand, not having anticipated this development when he'd gotten into work this morning.

"Relax, sir. Ryukyu is looking into it right now. We just need to get your statement for the record." The detective reassured, glancing past the younger man at the interior of the storage facility.

For as far as the eye could see, the doors of the storage units were ripped apart and destroyed. Contents from the units were scattered about the hallway's floor. All four of the floors were in the exact same state, the contents of the containers scattered and strewn about without care. Policemen had tried to section off each unit's contents with crime scene tape, but the mess was making it difficult.

No alarms had gone off to indicate an intruder, and the security cameras were all destroyed beyond repair. It was confusing to say the least.

Ryukyu rounded the far corner of the facility and began making her way back towards the detective overseeing the case. Just behind her were two other policemen, documenting everything they saw along the way. The detective finished his interview with the terrified facility manager and turned to the pro hero when she approached.

"Were you able to find anything?" He asked, and she shook her head, obviously disappointed.

"No. There were no obvious signs of a quirk or perpetrator." Her eyes narrowed in thought. "This is the second facility to have been hit in the past three days, and we're still no closer to finding out who's responsible. It's maddening..."

"What's even more confusing is the motive, though simple theft makes the most sense, considering the location." The detective mused aloud, writing that down in his notepad. However, Ryukyu focused back on him.

"I don't think that's the case, actually." She gestured to the dozens upon dozens of damaged units. "I think it's clear that whoever did this was looking for something specific."

"How can you be sure?"

The dragon hero stepped closer to the nearest unit, gesturing for him to do the same. He followed close behind, and she entered inside the small storage area. Briefly looking around at the strewn-about contents, she pointed to what had been a box of jewelry. The box's hinges had been broken, and most of the valuables were scattered on the ground in the corner.

"If theft had been the main motive, then why leave expensive jewelry behind? Logically, this would have been the first unit to be searched, as it's the first one within sight of the only entrance."

She stepped back out of the unit and pointed down the hallway. "Instead, the perpetrator decides to bypass the valuables and target every single other unit in the building. I saw the same thing in all of the others. Jewelry was ignored. Money wasn't taken. Even electronics and high-value antiques are left behind."

The detective was quiet, taking in all of the information she said, eventually agreeing that it didn't make much sense. "Then, if we take into account the first location's same MO, the criminal is searching for something they think is in a storage unit."

Ryukyu nodded. "I agree. If we could figure out what they were looking for, we could probably find out who is doing this."

"Well, whoever they are," the detective sighed, bringing Ryukyu back over to the entrance and showing her the indents in the knob in the shape of fingers, "they're extremely strong."

She stared at the damage, noticing that the entire door was dented inwards, as if it had been the bearer of a particularly strong punch at it's middle. "We should run a list of wanted criminals with a strength quirk, and narrow it down. This sort of damage is unlike what the average person could do."

The detective nodded, watching as the hero left the building with a deep frown, wondering who on earth could have caused this and why.

* * *

A/N- Let me know what you think of the story so far in a review! Your feedback really helps me improve and continue on better than before. :)


	17. Chapter 17

A/N- I'm excited for this chapter, and I've actually sat on it a few days, just to see if I still liked it by then. Please let me know what you think!

**RHatch89-** Thanks!

**Rynxenvy-** He's a pretty observant guy. I imagine he'd know the little things about her despite not saying much. :) He's so fun to write, but very difficult to keep in character. Please let me know if something doesn't seem right, lol. :)

Onwards!

* * *

Cradling her empty tea cup, Hina slid open the door to the teacher's lounge. It was late, once again, and she hadn't anticipated bumping into anyone at this later hour. Movement inside and the distinctly bright blonde hair of a familiar teacher caught her attention, and she stopped upon realizing who it was. "Oh, Toshinori. I didn't expect you to still be here this late."

The number one hero looked up at her from his spot on the couch, where he seemed to be poring over something on his laptop. The straw-haired man scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Yes, well...I had some paperwork to catch up on and figured I'd stay a little later to finish it."

"Mmm, I know the feeling." She said with a small smile. She was no stranger to staying past class hours for paperwork. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting you..."

He stopped her with an outstretched hand, beckoning her back inside when she took a tentative step back out of the doorway. "Nonsense, come inside and get your tea. I'm nearly finished anyway, and some company would be nice."

Hina smiled, and entered the room. The overhead light was turned off, the only source coming from the standing lamp beside the couch that Toshinori sat on. It gave the lounge a cozy and comfortable atmosphere, and shrouded his already gaunt face in more shadows than usual. She made her way over to the tea pot.

"What are _you_ doing here so late? I would have assumed you'd be home by now." He asked curiously, typing a few things into his device while he chatted.

She gave a humorous huff of breath. "Grading and preparing for tomorrow's lesson. I'm actually here late most nights after classes get out. It's nothing unusual for me." She said, setting the water to boil in the pot. The hot plate began to glow as it heated up.

"I didn't realize you put in so much time after hours." He looked up at her with surprise.

Hina shrugged. "It's all part of the job. You get used to it. I think most of us work late at least once a week, depending on the curriculum."

He nodded slowly, thinking about what she'd said. "Sometimes I forget that I'm actually a teacher now, you know. Seeing you all work so professionally and so hard just shows me how much I have to learn about doing it correctly."

"Don't feel too bad. It comes with time...My first year wasn't exactly a smooth process." She admitted, thinking back on a few of her first major mistakes. She checked the water temperature to see if it was boiling. "And I've heard it's hard to get out of that hero mentality once you've lived it for so long. Being the number one hero especially, I can't imagine what taking a step back from that feels like."

His face fell a little at the reminder that he was no longer in his prime, and she winced in regret. "It must really hurt to have to restrain yourself, huh?"

Toshinori sighed in dejection. "Yes...Now that I'm unable to keep my powered-up form for more than about 45 minutes, I can't go out and patrol in my free time like I used to. I managed to do as much as I could with my previous three hour limit, but now that I have the students to think about..."

She watched him stare at his thin and skeletal hands, thinking deeply. The pressure he held over himself was immense, from what she could tell. Having to step back from something he so obviously dedicated himself to doing for years had to weigh on him. The thought of being forced to stop teaching was something that ached just thinking about. It hurt to see him look so pained.

"You've done so much for everyone already, Toshinori." She said, smiling when he looked up at her. "You can't be expected to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders by yourself. The next generation of heroes will come into their own soon enough, so even if you can't be out there all the time saving citizens from burning buildings, teaching those that will come after you is just as important. Use the time you have to make the most of their education is my advice."

Toshinori just chuckled. "You're certainly passionate about teaching, aren't you?" He remarked with a rueful smile, and she returned it wholeheartedly.

"Getting to prepare the students for life ahead of them is my favorite thing in the world. I'm very blessed to have been given the opportunity to work here."

Toshinori nodded, quietly thinking about everything she'd said. Hina used the time to steep her tea bag and waited for the leaves to disperse their flavor. She held a hand in front of her mouth as she yawned.

"Tired?" He asked, starting to type away again at his laptop. She nodded then shook her head to rid herself of the exhaustion creeping up on her.

"A little. With all of the training and grading I've been doing recently, there isn't much time to really get a nap in. I think I'll use this Saturday to catch up a bit." She explained as she leaned against the counter to wait, and his interest piqued.

"Training?"

She nodded, figuring that Nemuri had been right in saying that the staff wouldn't think any less of her if she admitted to more training. They were all so considerate, after all. "Aizawa has been kind enough to offer me training sessions a few times a week to help me get stronger. It's a great work out, and I've been able to develop my quirk further than I have in years."

"Really? I knew you had a mental ability, but I guess I've never asked about it in depth." Toshinori mused to himself, leaning forward a bit from his seat. "Is there anything else you can do besides read minds?"

_"Well, I can project my thoughts to others, as you know."_ She sent to him. _"And just recently, I've developed the ability to projects images as well. I can basically alter what someone perceives, sort of like an illusionist quirk, but it's only in their head."_

"Could you show me?" He asked courteously but with genuine enthusiasm, and Hina grinned.

Taking a step away from the counter, she changed herself into his own muscled form, flexing her arms as he would normally do. She felt a little ridiculous standing there with her arms to either side, but to him it was as she wanted him to see her. Toshinori nearly choked, blood spurting from his mouth in surprise, eyes widened. The redhead laughed, before stating his infamous, "Plus Ultra!"

"Ahaha! That's marvelous!" He laughed boisterously, inspecting the projection she displayed to him. His smile was mirthful and made him somehow look totally different from the usual sullen skeleton he appeared to be. His eyes were alight with curiosity. He stood from the couch and stepped closer to have a look. "How long can you keep the illusion for?"

"I haven't practiced with it enough to know for sure, but at least a few minutes." She said in his voice, letting him look at her projection for a few more seconds before dropping both her arms and the facade. She stood there with a pleased smile, proud that he'd found it so fascinating. "I'm hoping to put it into a combat scenario eventually."

"I can see how it could be extremely useful for all sorts of situations." He remarked, going back over to his seat in front of the laptop. "With an ability like that, I wonder how I'd fare in a match with you..."

Hina blanched, terrified at simply the thought. "I think I wouldn't last ten seconds."

Toshinori laughed again, amused by her trepidation. "I'm all brawn when it comes down to it. With my condition as it is, I have a feeling you'd stand a decent chance. Don't sell yourself short."

"I should say the same to you." She retorted, crossing her arms. "You may not be in your prime, but you're still the Symbol of Peace. That isn't something to be taken lightly."

He shook his head, still smiling. Their conversation had reminded her of something else.

"Oh yeah, I've been meaning to ask how you think your match with Bakugou and Midoriya will go in the practical exams." She mentioned, grabbing her finished cup of tea and deciding to chat with him for a little while longer before heading back to her classroom.

"I'm not going to hold myself back for their sake, even if I do hope for them to pass." He stated.

She shrugged. "Well, of course. We can't simply give them an easy exam because we like our students. But are you sure it would be wise to go all out?"

"We'll also have the weights from the Support department giving us a handicap. I believe they intend to make mine much heavier than the other teachers..." The blonde man mused. "I'm used to using only small portions of my power anyway. There's shouldn't be any worry for their well-being."

Hina's eyes widened and she brought up a hand defensively. "That wasn't what I meant! I know you won't do anything to harm them. I just didn't want you to overexert yourself and decrease your time limit any further..."

"I know." He said with a smile. Toshinori scratched at his face with a finger, his grin turning rueful. "Besides, I don't think I'll have to work too hard to prevent them from passing anyway. Young Bakugou is very headstrong and doesn't work well with Young Midoriya in the slightest. Midoriya may allow himself to lose focus of the original objective if he feels he can change Bakugou's opinion in some way. It's more likely they'll just end up fighting each other."

"Aizawa said much the same thing in the meeting." She sighed, shaking her head. She took large a sip of tea. "If either of them want to be heroes, they'll have to learn to play nice with others they don't necessarily get along with. Bakugou more than Midoriya, but he still has his problems to improve upon too."

"That they do." He agreed, looking back down at his laptop screen.

Hina glanced up at the clock, noticing the time. "Ah, I probably should get going. I'll leave you to your work." She said, rising from her seat on the couch.

Toshinori looked back up at her and smiled. He seemed a little less lonely from when she first entered the room. Perhaps a little less stressed too. "Take a rest when you have the chance. Burnout won't do your training or teaching any good."

"Trust me, I will." She said, smiling back at him as she slid open the teacher's lounge door. "See you around, Toshinori."

He raised a hand in farewell, and she quietly shut the lounge doors behind her. Nursing her tea, she sipped at it as she shuffled back down the hallways to her classroom. Only the emergency lights were left on this late at night, basing the school in pale yellow patches of light.

She stared out at the city from the windows, enjoying the sight of the lights and neon on the busier strips. It was serene, and Hina took in the atmosphere while she could. She really didn't have anywhere to particularly be, but she hadn't wanted to take up too much of Toshinori's time while he was trying to work.

Finishing her tea, she rounded the corner for her classroom and approached the door. She slid it open and went to step inside but was surprised by someone else trying to do the same from inside.

"Ahh!" She cried out, her grip on her tea cup slipping as she jolted backwards. She saw Aizawa's eyes widen in surprise, not having expected her to be there, or not having anticipated her to drop her cup.

She waited for the shatter of ceramic on the floor, but it never came. Eyes glaring red, Aizawa's capture weapon lashed out just in time and wound itself around the handle of the cup, saving it from breaking into a dozen pieces. He lifted it to her face as his hair settled back into place, and she gently grabbed it from the ribbon's grip.

"Thanks..." She muttered, still catching up to what just happened. It had all happened so fast.

"You should keep a better hold on your things." He said with a tiny smile, stepping aside so she could enter the room. The capture weapon gathered itself around his neck again.

"Well, I wasn't expecting anyone to be in here, you know. This _is_ my classroom." She paused, then looked at him." What are you doing in here anyway?"

"Waiting for you. I'd been leaving to try to find you when you came in." He said simply, leaning against the chalkboard with crossed arms as she began gathering her stuff and tidying up her desk a little bit.

"How thoughtful of you. Still intent on walking me home?" She glanced his way, but he only gave her his neutral expression and hummed. She finished zipping up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. "I'm actually surprised you aren't patrolling. Don't you normally go out on Thursdays?"

"Normally yes," he said, following her out the classroom door, "but I decided to take the night off for once."

"Good!" Hina smiled, walking beside him in the hallway towards the elevator. "I'm glad you're taking my advice and taking a break. You of all people definitely need one."

Aizawa hummed again, but she didn't mind his apparent silence, content to just keep him company. He stuffed his hands in his pockets as they walked, and somewhere in the building the air conditioner kicked on.

"What do you plan to do in your free time tonight?" She asked, curious as to what sort of hobbies Aizawa kept. What did a man like him do for fun besides patrolling?

For a few steps he didn't answer, perhaps thinking about it. "I'll tell you, if you answer something for me first."

They reached the elevator, and she pressed the button to summon the cabin. It lit up to indicate it was on its way. Hina frowned a little, turning to face him. "Ok...what it is?"

He gave her a strange look, as if searching her eyes for something. Before he'd even spoken, she felt a little vulnerable, like he could see straight into her. Ironic, considering she was the telepath here.

"Do you see me as more than a friend," He asked bluntly, head tilting a little as he watched her eyes widen just a fraction, "or am I misunderstanding how you feel?"

_Uhhhhh..._

"I-" She started, blindsided by his question. The grip on her bag tightened. This wasn't at all what she'd been expecting him to ask. Her initial reaction was to panic, wondering if this was him ousting her as a creep and that he wanted nothing to do with her again. "Why...are you asking?"

Aizawa's expression remained tactfully neutral, giving away nothing in terms of his inner thoughts. Of course he'd be able to keep himself composed during something like this. She was too scared to reach out her quirk to see what he was actually thinking, as he'd see her eyes glow when it was activated.

"I overheard some of your conversation with Midnight yesterday. It wasn't intentional, but it's not like I can just forget what I heard."

_Damn, he probably thinks I'm the absolute worst..._

"Ah, I see..." She looked down, feeling embarrassed that he'd discovered them talking about him in such a way. She knew she should have kept her mouth shut. But Midnight was a persistent snoop. "Gome-

"I wanted to hear it from you directly so there isn't any misconstrued information. Rumors can be wildly inaccurate from the truth, you know." He said, not allowing her the opportunity to say sorry. He didn't want her apologizing for her feelings.

She looked at his eyes again which bore into hers. He waited for an answer, both curious and patient. The elevator dinged and the door beside them opened to allow passengers on, but neither turned to even acknowledge its arrival. The door stood open.

He'd given her an out, she realized. If she wanted him to forget the conversation had ever happened, she could claim that he'd misunderstood. He would believe whatever he told her, regardless of his suspicions. If she wanted to preserve the working relationship she had with him, she could just tell him that she didn't-

"I do. Like you, I mean. As more than a friend." She blurted out before she decided to just lie to him. Midnight's advice that one of them had to take that first step floated through her head. Somehow, she was able to say it without looking away from him. "You didn't mishear me..."

"Then in that case," he said, holding out a hand to stop the elevator doors from closing entirely, and they opened back up, "come to dinner with me."

Hina blinked, not giving herself time to even think. "I'd like that."

_It happened so fast! I'm I actually just imagining this in my head? Maybe he took my projections from the bar as interest...I mean, they technically were but...wow, this was not how I expected to spend my night._

Aizawa nodded, his tiny smile returning, then gestured for her to enter the elevator first. "I know a little place where heroes aren't bothered. It's small, but the food is good."

* * *

"How did you find a place like this?" Hina asked Aizawa, looking around at the tiny restaurant they were seated in. It felt homey with the dim lighting and modest furnishings, just like the owner himself. He was an older gentleman that reminded her of her own father. He gave off that feeling of safety and protection, and had politely ushered them towards a table along the edge of the room.

"Hizashi brought me here once." He said, leaning his head on his hand, eyes tracking the decor himself. "He comes here when he doesn't want to be approached by fans."

"But it's open to the public, right? It's not just for heroes?" She asked, seeing other normal civilians seated in the other seats. They were quiet and barely looked their way at all.

"Yes, but the owner makes it a point to kick out anyone who tries to approach a hero while they're here. He wants us to feel like we can relax without being recognized or bothered." He explained, sipping at his drink calmly.

None of the other patrons seemed concerned that they were both still in hero costume, having gone straight from work to the restaurant. Hina didn't have a problem fielding off fans in the first place, but she knew that there were those fan groups that looked out for obscure heroes to mob whenever they had the chance, simply for the fact that they were considered 'rare.' It was a strange culture.

Eraserhead was one such hero, and she knew for a fact that he had a rabid fanbase of young females that were constantly on the lookout for him in the later hours. She couldn't be sure if he was aware of it or not.

"That's very considerate of him." Hina said finally, turning her attention back to her date of the evening. For a second, she couldn't think of anything to ask, but her curiosity bubbled one to the surface. "So, the exams are in a few days. How do you think the students will fair? Honest opinion."

"I talked about it at the meeting. Weren't you paying attention?" His hair must have been bothering him, because he swiped a hand along the top to disperse his bangs, and she had a hard time looking away from it. It took her longer than she'd like to answer because of the distraction.

"Honestly? I zoned out after a few minutes..."

His eyes narrowed, and she smiled at the expression, finding him cute. He gave a tiny sigh, but explained anyway. "Even with a handicap in place for the teachers, it's been set up to put the students at a disadvantage. Their teams aren't ideal for their quirk types, and in some cases they were paired specifically because they wouldn't mesh well."

"Like Midoriya and Bakugou?"

"At least you paid attention for that long, but yes." He said, ignoring her amusement. "Not only are they trying to pass their exams, they're also meant to learn something from the experience. I think most will end up passing, though."

"You're against Todoroki and Momo, aren't you?" He nodded. "What made you pair them together?"

"Todoroki is very confident in his ability to be a leader, but he doesn't quite know what it means to lead yet."

Hina frowned, head tilting to the side. "How's that?"

Aizawa went on to explain. "In the cavalry battle, he instructed the others to do as he planned, which _did_ ultimately lead to a victory but left little room for the others to voice their own opinions. He didn't allow for the others to contribute much to the plan or think for themselves, probably assuming that he would know best in the first place."

"I hadn't even noticed, but you're right. Hmm...sounds very much like his father." She stated blandly, recalling the last time she'd encountered the number two hero. Needless to say, it wasn't a positive experience. "So, why team him with Momo?"

Their conversation was interrupted by a waitress bringing them their orders. They both thanked her and declined needing anything else. Aizawa turned back to her, breaking his chopsticks apart.

"She seems to be under the impression that her instincts are overshadowed by the abilities of her classmates. She's lost her confidence after the sports festival when Fumikage defeated her." He raised a brow, looking at her pointedly. "Not unlike someone else I know. With any luck, both problems will resolve themselves at the same time."

Hina looked down at her food sheepishly, grabbing her own utensils to begin eating. "It's a work in progress. You've actually done a lot to help. If I can learn to implement my new ability in actual combat with our training sessions, then maybe I'll feel a bit more helpful as a hero."

He pinned her with a stare, holding a sushi roll between his chopsticks. "That's _why_ I'm training you. The sooner you figure out that you aren't useless, the better. Your quirk and your athletic ability give you a great amount of potential. I don't understand how you still think you're beneath the others."

"When your colleagues are All Might and Eraserhead, to name a few, it isn't that hard to fathom." Hina smiled, taking a bite of her food. His kind words stirred something in the pit of her stomach, and she had to resist the urge to squirm in place. "Why _are_ you so interested in helping me train? I'm very glad that you are, don't get me wrong, but I don't quite believe your reasoning."

Aizawa looked at her, swallowing the sushi he'd finished chewing. "I want to be certain that you can handle yourself with your brother on the loose. You say you're worried about being unprepared, and I can do something to help. It settles my peace of mind. And," he shrugged, reaching for another roll on his plate, "I know the feeling of not being confident with your quirk."

Hina stopped her chopsticks halfway to her mouth, looking back up at him incredulously. "...really? You?"

His brow furrowed. "Yes, what's with that face?"

"I don't know, it's just...you're such a self-assured person. I never would have thought you had confidence issues. Just doesn't sound like you at all. Part of me thinks you're pulling my leg here." She admitted, then took a bite out of her meal.

He quirked a brow. "I'm not. I've just changed a lot since then. High school me had a hard time believing I could be a hero with my quirk."

"But it's so versatile! You can do so much with it, and combined with your capture weapon, you're a very strong combatant." She said, still in disbelief to learn this about him. She was learning more about him in fifteen minutes than the past three years of their time working together.

"I know that now. But it took me six years of training to master my capture weapon. I wasn't combat suited back then, which my classmates were quick to point out." Aizawa told her evenly. "Everyone else had something that could increase their fighting capacity in my year, and compared to that, I didn't see how I could match their prowess."

"But, you made it work." She pointed out, and he nodded.

"That's my point. I trained myself so I could work around my weaknesses, and I became confident in my quirk. There's no reason you can't do the same." His gaze grew a bit softer, and he held her stare. "I don't want you to be the way I was back then. It's not productive and only holds you back."

Hina smiled, appreciative of his intentions. She'd always thought he was attractive, but his willingness to help her so much was just emphasizing his appeal. "Thanks for looking out for me."

There was a small pause in the conversation, and Aizawa narrowed his eyes, uncertain if she would answer his next question. "It was your brother than made you insecure, wasn't it?"

The redhead nodded, eyes falling on to her plate. She supposed it wasn't that hard to figure out, and she figured he'd ask her more about her brother eventually. "After he turned villain, I guess I just lost the perception that our quirk could be used for good. Being on the receiving end of his attacks isn't something I ever want to experience again." She shivered, recalling the way her mind had been picked apart and invaded.

"Daichi wasn't as strong as he is now, so there wasn't any lasting damage like the others experienced." She said, referring to the three comatose patients in the hospital. "But it gave me a shock, and I realized that that was _my_ power too. That I could be doing the same thing to others without realizing it, and it scared me."

"It's not like you were using it to pick apart a civilian's mind. I know you weren't going out with the intent to violate people." Aizawa reasoned, but she only shrugged.

"It didn't matter to me. I felt like my ability was no worse than a villain's, poking and prodding around in someone's head. Laying bare their inner thoughts. I felt like an intruder every time I used it to defeat a villain. For a while afterwards, using it made me feel dirty and sick. It was around that time I started fading away from the public. I stopped doing patrols."

"That's why you never trained your quirk to develop more abilities? You were afraid of doing something like he did." He guessed, and she nodded.

"I didn't want to be anything like Daichi, no matter how unintentional it might have been."

They'd both finished with most of their food. Aizawa leaned his elbow on the table and propped up his head. "So, why'd you take the teaching position at UA if you were so afraid of hurting someone?"

Hina crossed her arms and put them on the table, leaning forward a bit. "It had been a year or two after Daichi was arrested, and I wanted to do something good for my family name. I didn't want it to only be associated with a villain.

"When Nezu came asking for me to teach the Life Skills course, I thought about it and felt like it was a good way to start putting forth something positive to my name. I wanted to be proud to be a Hitagawa again."

He nodded, listening and watching her intently. There was something that he'd always wondered about. "How did you end up capturing your brother anyway? You've never gone into detail."

"It's nothing to boast about. I can't even really claim that _I_ put him away..." She admitted, shaking her head. "I just got lucky. Mr. Brave showed up while we were fighting and kept him occupied so I could restrain Daichi with quirk-suppression handcuffs."

Hina sighed sadly. "It was how I knew what had caused their injuries, back at the hospital. Seeing Mr. Brave as one of the victims, I knew Daichi probably came around looking for some payback at the very least, for helping me arrest him."

"Mic said you didn't know why he turned into a villain." The erasure hero mentioned, trying to get the full picture. The more information he had about what had happened, the better he would feel preparing her to face him eventually. Her expression turned desperate.

"I don't. Nothing pointed towards it. I have good memories with him as a child, and he didn't cause trouble any more than a regular kid would. He talked about being a hero when he grew up all the time to our parents. But when they died, it was like a switch just flipped. I can't explain it...I still wonder about what happened, or if there was anything I could have done to prevent it."

"There's no use thinking about that." Aizawa pressed. "It's in the past, and it sounds highly unlikely that you were the cause."

Hina grew quiet, finally looking back up at him and smiled. "You're very kind, Aizawa."

He said nothing, but met her gaze for a few moments with his neutral expression. She couldn't quite tell what he was thinking. Just as she could have sworn she saw his eyes dart down to her lips, the waitress approached their table and broke the moment.

"Is there anything else I can get for you?" She asked, and but Aizawa shook his head.

"Just the check."

* * *

The air was warm, and their walk home was comfortable. Hina wasn't sure how appreciative he'd be with her linking her arm in his since they were in public-she didn't peg him as the PDA type of person anyway-so she just walked beside him, holding onto her bag with a smile. The night owls were out and about, and they crossed paths with several other couples enjoying a night in town.

Passing the main streets of the city, their path took them closer to the residential side of town, where there were many fewer people walking about. It gave them a bit of privacy.

They neared her apartments and she chuckled to herself. "So, do you take all of your dates to that place? It's quite cozy."

"I don't date." He said evenly, glancing her way. "So, no."

"Come on," she teased, briefly brushing her fingers under the scruff of his chin, "not even occasionally? With a face like that I can't see how you wouldn't get asked out."

His head shook, looking annoyed and all but ignoring her compliment. Maybe he just didn't know how to respond. "It's troublesome, but it happens."

"See? I knew it." She stated proudly.

"They get turned down. I don't have the time or patience for what they normally look for anyway." Was his reply.

"And what is that?"

His stare was hard again. "A hero to attach themselves to just for the ability to say they're dating one."

Her apartment building came into view, and she smiled, hoping for a better note to end the night on. "Well then, I must be very lucky to be asked to dinner by _the_ Eraserhead, crusher of women's hopes."

"More nicknames?" He grumped, exhaling a long-suffering sigh. "It's a wonder you still know my actual name."

"You secretly like it." She accused, and he only narrowed his eyes, saying nothing. Her smug smile widened. "I'm taking that as a yes. For someone with no time, you sure do spend a lot of it with me. If you actually hated it, you would've ditched me ages ago."

They stopped near the entrance to the building and he looked down at her from his taller height, bringing them closer than she ever remembered being. His eyes were still tired, but there was something soft behind them that she couldn't quite interpret. "You're worth making time for."

The sincerity of his statement was what made her speechless. She doubted anyone had ever outright told her something so endearing. That fuzzy feeling returned to her stomach. Glancing down at his lips, she decided to listen to what the little voice was telling her and do something impulsive, and lifted herself up on her toes to close the distance between them.

The kiss was soft and small, and she pulled away after only a moment. There was a brief flicker of concern, wondering if he'd be upset by what had just happened, but that softness in his eyes hadn't disappeared, and his eyes were intent on her own lips for a moment before flicking back up to her eyes.

"You certainly know what to say to a girl, Aizawa." Covering up her blush, she smiled and tilted her head. "I hope that...we can do this again?"

He hummed his agreement, letting her step away towards the door to the building.

"Thank you for dinner. I'll see you in the morning." She said, giving a small wave before disappearing from sight.

Inside, now that he couldn't see her, she placed her hands on her cheeks and broke into a wide smile, struggling to process everything that had just happened. Trying her best to keep her excitement in check, she wandered to her apartment and flung herself into her bed, relishing this feeling that something good was brewing from this.

* * *

A/N-So! It happened! Their first date. I want their relationship to be adult, since they're obviously not teenagers. There might be a bit of blushing and embarrassment here and there, but I want to avoid young love tropes however I can since they're more mature than the students. Asking her straight out what her feelings are, for example. I hope that makes sense. :)

Please let me know what you think of the story so far!


	18. Chapter 18

A/N- Not a lot of action in this one, but there will be in the next! :) Thank you to all who reviewed on the last chapter! Your comments really made my day.

**AnImEfAN506-** Thank you! I was squeeing basically the whole time I wrote that last chapter out, lol.

**RHatch89-** Thank you

**Rynxenvy-** Here's to hoping that we'll get some really nice fanart with him covered in tats one day. I have yet to see one :o I really enjoy doing their training sessions too! They're a fun way to explore their relationship without having to use dialogue all the time. Nemuri will find out soon, I'm sure, lol. Whether Hina gets out alive afterwards is the question.

**PippinSqueaks-** :D

**AnimeFan4Eternity-** I like to think because he's so logical, he'll just recognize what he feels and act upon it, rather than pussy foot around and be all shy. He just seems like the forward type when everything makes sense to him. :) I'm glad to see others thought the same way! Gosh, keeping him in character is my number 1 priority, so let me know if you see anything that doesn't seem right!

**LovelyFandomLover-** Yes! Adult romances! I don't see enough of them and so I decided to try to write one. I'm so glad you enjoy it. :)

Onwards!

* * *

"Alright, class. Take yours seats, please." Hina called out, walking out from behind her desk. As the bell rang free, the last few students rushed to take their spots in the room.

"Our lesson will be a little bit different than what you're used to." Hina said, sitting on the edge of her desk to face the students of Class 1-A, ankles crossed. Leaning back comfortably, she watched them look at her curiously. "Truthfully, there _is_ no lesson plan for today."

Her statement caught them off guard, and they paused.

"We don't have a lesson?" Iida questioned, raising his hand. "Then what will we be learning, Hitagawa Sensei?"

She smiled. "I thought I'd let you guys decide that. I know your final exams are tomorrow, and you've been working very hard on all of your studies and training. We've covered all of the information on the test, so I'll leave it up to you. You can get some extra studying in and I can answer any questions you may have. This is an open forum."

Her hands spread apart, indicating the classroom around them, and the students seemed to like the idea of having the control of the classroom. She clasped her hands back together and tilted her head. "So, any burning questions?"

Fumikage raised his hand. "Is it true then, that the final exam will be fighting the giant robots from the entrance exam?"

"So I've heard." She said simply, keeping her face expressly neutral. She accompanied it with a shrug. "I'm afraid I am not proctoring the final exam and don't know too much."

"All of the upperclassmen say they faced the robots." Mina said aloud, propping her cheek on her hand. "I don't know if I'll be able to defeat one by myself..."

"I hope there's not more than one, or I'll just fry out and be useless." Denki added, and Mina smiled behind her hand, laughing at his predicament. He turned to her with an insulted expression. "Hey, it's not funny!"

"Yes it is!"

"I'm sure you'll all find a way to pass whatever you might face." Hina encouraged cryptically, then pointed to a bored Jirou who had raised her hand. "Yes, Jirou?"

"How many questions will be on the test tomorrow?"

"100. It will be structured very similar to the benchmark test we took on the first day of class." She said, and the students looked a little dejected. "Well, I can't make it easy for you, can I?"

"You _could_..." Kirishima muttered, and she smiled.

"How would making an easy test help you become heroes? I imagine I'd only be hindering your growth if I simply allowed you all to pass without some difficulty. There's no gratification of reward without a challenge."

They all nodded, understanding the logic behind it, but still not looking forward to the exam itself. She flashed out her quirk and the one sentiment they all seemed to agree on was that she was sounding more and more like Aizawa Sensei through the year. It made her smile with a strange mix of amusement and pride.

"Any questions on heroes in general?" She went on, making herself a bit more comfortable on the table. For several seconds, the students were quiet, perhaps thinking about what they wanted to ask.

Sero raised his hand. "Heroes sometimes get side jobs, right?"

"Mhm, that's right."

"How do you get one? Is there a certain place heroes can go to apply?"

Hina smiled. "Not exactly. They're no different than one a civilian would take on, so you would apply to whatever company you were hoping to work for and go through the usual interview process. Heroes don't have an agency they go to in order to get a job on the side. It grounds them in a sense that they are just like everyone else. Well, _I_ like to think so, at least." She added with a shrug.

Hina nodded towards Aoyama.

"Did you ever have a side job, Hitagawa Sensei?"

"I did, yes. Though it eventually turned into my full time job. I taught English in a primary school for a few years." She said, flippantly gesturing with her hand. "Had I not worked there, I doubt I would have been asked to teach here at UA."

"Kyaa, that's so cute!" Hagakure called out, waving her uniform sleeves in the air excitedly. "Did you like teaching English?"

"Yes, it was very fun." Hina smiled, recalling her time teaching the little ones. They were still several years away from being of age to go into high school, but she had wondered on a few occasions if she'd see them in her classroom one day again. "I like to think I made some sort of impact on their education before I left."

Hina went to call on another student, but Midoriya shook his head.

"Wait...you make it sound like you stopped being a pro hero, Sensei." He said, frowning in thought. "You said it turned into your full time job. What did you mean by that?"

"Yes, well...after awhile, I decided to somewhat retire from the pro hero scene and teach exclusively." She tried explaining after a second of pause. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to satisfy the curious young student.

"But, why? You were a pro! How can you walk away from something like that? You wanted to save citiziens, didn't you?"

"Of course!" Hina defended quickly, holding up her hands to placate the passionate young man. Midoriya's expression was edging on something close to confusion and some sort of betrayal. The young boy was so impressionable and still viewed heroes as these infallible symbols of justice and everything that was right. Hearing that his teacher essentially quit being what he idolized was absurd to him.

Now that the subject was out in the open, among the class, the others were also looking at her curiously. After all, it wasn't at all common that heroes voluntarily retired from their job as a hero. She supposed her wording had garnered more confusion than anything. Serves her right for not being specific in order to avoid the topic of her brother. Thankfully, none of them had yet made the connection between their teacher and the prison escapee still at large.

_Damn Midoriya and his endless questions. How am I supposed to go from here?_

Hina sighed, shaking her head. "I retired because of a mix of reasons, too many to name. Predominantly, I realized how much teaching meant to me. There was this spark of fulfillment I couldn't find anywhere else, and truthfully...I think I was looking for a reason to step away from the limelight of being a pro."

"Really?" Kirishima asked, looking surprised. "But you know so much about being a hero, Sensei. You make it sound so cool."

Hina smiled ruefully. "Some of the lessons I teach you I learned from experience, you know. Things you shouldn't do. Ways to present yourself. There were many lessons I hadn't realized about being a pro before jumping in, and I payed the price for it. I'm hoping to pass on what I learned so you don't experience some of what I did."

"What sort of things? If you don't mind saying..." Momo raised her hand, and Hina met her gaze.

_Shame. Public humiliation. Widespread suspicion._

"Insecurity, the fear of making mistakes, and the like. Even the downsides to dating another hero." She opted to say, pushing her stray thoughts into the back of her mind. "We try our best as teachers to prepare you for what you'll face once you become an independent hero, but of course, we can't cover everything. I found that out the hard way. I was unprepared, and ultimately, not cut out for being a pro full time."

"No way, Sensei, your quirk is really unique!" Sero called out, making fists with his hands in excitement. "I bet you would've made a great pro if you had stuck with it. Maybe one of the top ten."

A few of the others agreed with his sentiment, talking over each other to put in their two cents. Bakugou simply sat with his usual scowl, opting not to be part of the conversation. The redhead smiled, eyes taking in all her students with fondness. She couldn't ask for better pupils. After a moment, she lifted her arms to quiet the room down.

"Thank you, all...but enough about me. We still want to teach you something tangible from this discussion." She waved off the topic, happy to be getting on to something else. The less they talked about the avenue that involved Daichi, the better. Looking around the room, she pointed to the brunette gravity girl in the back who was chewing her lip thoughtfully. "Uraraka, you look like you want to ask something."

Uraraka glanced up in surprise when she heard Hina mention her name. Perhaps she was putting her on the spot, but if it meant the students would stop looking at her, she didn't much care. It took a moment before the red-faced girl could bring herself to actually ask her question.

"Umm...I was wondering, how does dating work...when you're a hero?" Her pointer fingers were pushed together nervously, and she stared down at her desk. "I've heard...it's difficult."

Hina's head tilted as she thought, hand on her chin. "I suppose it can be. Not really any more so than a regular relationship but...Hmm, I guess this was something we could have gone over during the required 3-day sex ed program. Let me explain briefly."

She saw their uncomfortable looks and forged on. "There is no restriction on dating between heroes or civilians if that's what you were asking towards. We're lucky not to be part of a society that requires complimentary quirk matching, as some smaller countries do. You are welcome to form a relationship with whomever you decide, regardless of their quirk or lack thereof. Each relationship type has it's own unique challenges you might face, however."

"Like love affairs and scandals?" Mineta asked, interest piquing with the new topic.

Hina shrugged. "Sometimes. For example, let's say as a hero, you enter a relationship with a civilian. They should expect that you have responsibilities that take you out of the home for long hours or extended days, depending on the mission or patrol. You could even be called away to a different part of the country. They may have to learn that your priority may not always be those you come home to, since you have promised your time and attention to protecting citizens as your full time job."

Hina could see them nodding along in understanding now. "It may also put your partner in more danger. Villains have been known to use hostages a hero is close with to protect themselves or stave off arrest. It's not so common nowadays, but it does still happen. And at times the police will require you to keep certain classified information to yourself, no matter how much your significant other might want you to tell them about your work or to vent."

"What about dating other heroes?" Shoji asked, eyes curious behind his mask. That question coming from him was a bit surprising. He didn't usually discuss things like that and kept quiet during discussions.

"Again, there are no restrictions. But if you thought that heroes and civilians don't have a lot of time to spend together, then heroes dating other heroes have even less of it." She said with a sigh. "Unless you patrol together or work for the same agency, chances are you may not see much of your partner during the day. It can be a tricky thing to work around."

Her arms crossed. "What's more, relationships between pros tend to be highly publicized and talked about, so if you aren't comfortable being in the tabloid or having the inevitable rumors spread, maintaining your relationship can sometimes be too much. Dating another hero is a lesson in trust and patience, and not something to treat lightly."

"I wonder how often things end badly between heroes." Asui remarked, looking upwards in thought.

"Well, I'm no insider into heroes' personal lives," she remarked offhandedly, "but I'm sure it is more common than you might think. Of course, they wouldn't want an unpleasant split to be blasted over the magazine covers, so most stay professional and tight lipped about things like that."

"Even if they hate each other?" Ojiro asked, looking skeptical.

Hina raised a finger knowingly. "_Especially_ in those cases. Keep in mind, heroes are expected to work closely with one another and cooperate, no matter how much animosity is between them. It's a matter of their daily job performance. Letting bad feelings get in the way could compromise their reputation or rate of success at saving lives."

The class nodded, seeing the sense in that.

Something else came to mind. "Oh, I just remembered...should you choose to marry another hero, you would have to file a document with the Department of Revenue for income tax purposes. Marrying a civilian would not require it, though if they one day do become a hero as well, then the form would apply."

Uraraka's face turned a shade deeper of red, and her hands held her cheeks. Curious, Hina delved into her mind and saw her internally flustering, imagining scenes of her and Midoriya dressed in formal attire, walking down an aisle. Uraraka rebuked herself, saying that she was being ridiculous and she needed to stay focused.

The redhead smiled and pulled out of her mind, amused by the girl's discomfort. So, someone had a bit of a crush, it seemed. Poor Midoriya didn't seem to have the slightest idea, either. He had no unusual reaction to her answers.

Hina leaned back on the desk again, leaving the topic there. "Next question?"

* * *

Classes had just gotten out. The students had left the building, and the school was virtually empty, save for some teachers who were staying behind to finish paperwork. But not Hina. It was one of those rare days where there was nothing left to grade, no files to update, and no scheduled staff meetings to attend, freeing up her evening to do something fun for once. Maybe Aizawa would be up to some more training with her...

Packing her things away, Hina heard a soft knock against the door of her classroom. She smiled to herself, instinctively knowing who it was.

_Speak of the devil._

"Come in." She called, and the door slid open. Aizawa stepped inside, eyes tired and costume on as always. One of these days she desperately wanted to see him in something other than his hero costume. She placed her hands on her hips and grinned. "You actually knocked...what happened to just coming inside like you usually do?"

"You're always right on the other side when I let myself in." He shrugged, "I figured I wouldn't scare you this time."

Hina feigned offense. "It's not me being scared, just...surprised." She tried, but chuckled when he clearly wasn't convinced. That incredulous lift of a brow was enough to convey his disbelief. "You're a tough sell."

He hummed a neutral tone, watching her straighten and throw her bag over her shoulder. She tucked her hair behind her, out from the strap so it wouldn't pull. "How were classes?"

The redhead sighed, and walked closer to her open door. "Unstructured. I've covered everything they'll be tested on tomorrow, so it was just an hour of letting them ask questions. A little slow but I got to know more about the students in the process too."

He glanced at her, falling in step at her side. "Is that so?"

She couldn't help the proud smile at having found out a few new things about them. "Mhm. Like, for example, Uraraka is crushing hard on Midoriya, and I have a feeling Shoji is harboring feelings for someone, too. I'm just not sure who yet." She tapped her chin, trying to think about who it could be.

"You only just realized?" Aizawa questioned, stuffing his hands in his pockets and slouching a bit more in his stride. If that was somehow even possible. Hina's mouth formed the shape of an 'O,' and her pride took a small hit.

"What, that Uraraka likes Midoriya? Is this common knowledge or something?"

Aizawa shrugged. "Sort of."

"Well...how long have _you_ known about it?"

"Since day one." Her incredulous expression made his mouth twitch upwards in an amused smile. "Uraraka lacks subtlety."

The pep in her step lessened a little, and suddenly the flames of accomplishment extinguished. "So...everyone else knew and just didn't want to tell me?" Hina pouted, crossing her arms a little. "Now I just feel ridiculous for being so out of the loop."

"Why bother? They have more important things to focus on anyway. They shouldn't get caught up in distractions." He declared, and she just decided to drop the subject. Midnight would be a much more suitable person to discuss the possible relationships between students with, since Aizawa clearly didn't care much about it.

She, on the other hand, enjoyed the thought of them getting the full high school experience; high school sweetheart beginnings, week-long flings, messy break ups, and social drama included. Just because they were heroes-in-training didn't mean they had to miss out on the most important milestones of being teenagers. At least, that's what she felt.

"Any plans for tonight?" She eventually asked with a smile, walking with him towards the elevators. The halls were quiet without all of the students milling about. "Oh, wait. It's your patrol night, isn't it?"

"Yes, but I have time to spare before I go." He stated, meeting her gaze.

Hina smiled back at him, feeling that little buzz of happiness in the pit of her stomach. After their first date, she couldn't seem to get rid of it, no matter how hard she tried. It was a little distracting, but the good kind. "Anything specific in mind?" She ventured to ask suggestively, tilting her head in a coy fashion.

Her flirty tone made Aizawa rub the back of his neck, looking away for a second. She had to resist blushing at how cute it made him look. "If you'd like, we could-"

The overhead paging system's starting chime interrupted him, and both teachers sharply glanced up to listen.

_"Scarlet Seer, please come to my office as soon as is convenient."_

Nezu's voice rang through the empty hallways, and the ending chime followed right after it. Hina let loose a little sigh, before her eyes returned to his. "Sounds like I'm being summoned, otherwise I'd love to attend whatever you had in mind. Too bad..."

"Maybe tomorrow, then." He nodded with a small hint of disappointment, about to step away to let her leave. Smiling, Hina intercepted his path and leaned in close to place a kiss on his scruffy cheek before he had a chance to react.

"I'm holding you to that." She promised, seeing his surprised expression. Obviously, he hadn't been expecting her to do that, but he didn't seem upset by it. Good. Hina raised her hand in a farewell as she stepped away. "Stay safe on your patrol."

"Yeah..." He muttered just loud enough for her to hear, and she could feel his stare at her back.

* * *

"You asked to see me, sir?" Hina inquired, stopping a few feet in front of the dog-mouse-bear's desk. His large, plush chair seemed to make him look even smaller in it, as his head didn't even reach halfway up the back's support. There were times when she had to remind herself that he wasn't an adorable-looking animal and he was, indeed, leagues more intelligent than her or any hero that she knew of. His personable demeanor was often deceiving.

"Yes, thank you for coming on such short notice." He said, pushing aside a stack of papers and interlocking his paws together. "I'm sorry if you were on your way home."

"It's no trouble." She waved the apology away, not minding at all. "What is it you need from me?"

"Have you been informed of Midnight's injury from her patrol last night?" He questioned, and Hina blinked.

"Injury? No...God, I hadn't even noticed she wasn't here today...is she alright?" The redhead asked with worry, frowning deeply now that the idea was out there. She didn't like the thought of her friends being hurt, and Nemuri was one of her closest ones.

Nezu held up a calming paw. "She will make a full recover with time. It is not that serious to begin with, but it does render her unfit to work for the next few days, unfortunately."

"I see..." She muttered, feeling terrible about the whole thing. What a great friend she was, not even noticing she hadn't shown up to work or reached out to talk to her. She'd have to visit her as soon as she was done with her meeting.

"To make matters worse, the students' final exams are tomorrow, and Midnight was supposed to be one of the participants." Nezu went on to explain, shaking his head sadly. "Which brings me to why I've called you here. I'd like you to take Midnight's place and participate in the final exams tomorrow."

Hina felt a chill go through her body, both in surprise and slight fear. The looming thought of failure was ever present. She swallowed. "Participate? You want me to battle against some of the students?"

"Class 1-A's Hanta Sero and Minoru Mineta specifically, yes." Nezu confirmed casually. "I understand it is a last-minute request and you may have had plans for your own class tomorrow. I can make arrangements to have a substitute oversee your written exam with the other students during the day."

"That's...very thoughtful of you." She stammered, struggling to keep up with what was being asked of her. "I'm just not sure if I'd be a proper fit...to test the students' abilities. I haven't been an active pro in _years_-"

Nezu chuckled a little, smiling. "I'm aware of your situation, Scarlet Seer. I was the one who recruited you after all. I can see you are hesitant to agree to be our substitution. Is there any specific reason why?"

Hina paused, not having expected to be called out on it, but she would always at least be truthful when her true feelings were in question. She looked up and met the principal's gaze. "I don't think I'd provide an adequate enough challenge to the students to properly test them. In terms of quirk strength, I am far below the standard of my coworkers."

"I thought Eraserhead had begun training sessions with you after classes. Have they not been effective?" He questioned, and Hina vigorously shook her head.

"No, he's been a very big help in developing my quirk further recently." She defended, then seemed to understand her own contradictory statements. "What I mean is-"

"Then I see no reason why you would not pose a challenge to the students." He concluded. "From what Eraserhead tells me, you excel at evasion and misdirection in combat, and can keep an even pace with him for quite some time. If that is the case, I don't see any issue."

Hina shrugged a little. "I suppose, but-"

Nezu held up a paw, halting her sentence. "Not only that, the students have had no exposure to a quirk of your type in a combat situation. It would be beneficial for them to learn to adapt to and counter your telepathy or even know what something like that could do to them if used maliciously. While you might not be the physically strongest teacher among the UA staff, you can provide them a new and powerful combat scenario they've yet to experience. I'm sure you can see the educational value in something like that."

Hina was quiet, thinking about what he'd said. It was true that in terms of mental stamina and ability, she could trump everyone she worked with, but she could never really see it as an equal power scaling to All Might's or Vlad King's straight battle prowess. The moment they saw through what she tried to do, she was done for in a battle of brawn.

_Aizawa would have a field day if he knew what I was thinking right now._

She could already imagine the displeased glare directed her way, coupled with a sigh and an order to get over her insecurities if she really wanted to protect the students. She was a teacher and a pro by title, he'd say, she needed to start acting like it. There was no excuse not to.

What had all this training been for, then? If she could progress and get stronger, what was the point in working her quirk and her body this way? Pathetic...

Taking his assumed words to heart, she eventually nodded. "I do see the value in it. If you feel that I could properly assess their progress, then I will participate in the exams."

Nezu smiled. "I'm glad to hear it, though I would certainly hope you have the confidence in yourself to do your best. Your battle will take place on Training Ground Delta at 10 am. The staff will meet the students beforehand to instruct them of their battle assignments and go over the rules."

"Understood."

"One more thing before you go, Scarlet Seer." Nezu said, garnering her attention before she could turn to leave his office. "You weren't just hired for your previous teaching experience at the primary school. If that had been the case, there were several much more qualified teachers I could have brought onto our payroll. I chose you over a dozen other pros to prepare the students for life ahead of them. Do you know why?"

Hina blinked, speechlessly shaking her head. Nezu continued despite her silence.

"UA prides itself on recruiting only the best at what they do to teach the heroes of the next generation. Strong pillars of what it means to be a hero, those who display good character and just set of ideals. Your place here at UA was no coincidence or mistake. Please be sure to remember that the next time you doubt your ability or think yourself beneath those you work with."

Hina wasn't sure what to say, and simply nodded her understanding. Turning her head away so he wouldn't see the first few tears forming at the corners of her eyes, she bid him a good night and left through his office door.

* * *

A/N- Did Nezu's words really get through to her? Perhaps we'll see Hina become less insecure about her quirk and her power. Only further chapters will tell...

As always, if you enjoyed, leave me a review to let me know what you thought so far! I appreciate any and all critiques, so please help me become better!


	19. Chapter 19

A/N- Mineta and Sero vs. Scarlet Seer. Will the outcome be the same as canon? Will she learn to believe in her own power a little more? Let us see, shall we?

**Rynxenvy**\- Oh, I'm sure they'll have time later for another date soon enough. ;) But first there are butts to kick!

**alinalee-** Thank you! :D

**AnimeFan4Eternity-** She does have a great support system, but she's just gotta choose to believe them. :) Fluff between them is my favorite thing. :D

Onwards!

* * *

Leg bouncing nervously, Hina chewed on the end of her thumb. Ground Delta lay before her, it's escape gate looming above. Inside, the rocky, jagged wasteland of it's landscape was bleak and rough. Plenty of places to hide amongst the rocky outcrops. Plenty of places to get ambushed, if she wasn't careful...It wasn't an ideal location for any of their quirks. Midnight's would have had a better advantage in a place like this, where she could release her sleep mist without the boys knowing where it was coming from. The hand holding the four weights that would handicap her for the match tugged compulsively at the collar of her costume. Discomfort caused her skin to itch.

Her match with Mineta and Sero began in thirty minutes time. She'd stayed up all night trying to come up with a strategy, but had only ended up losing sleep for nothing. Sero had a tape quirk, and Mineta, his sticky orbs from his head. Both physical quirks that she'd have to keep in mind. So long as she stayed focused, her nimbleness could probably avoid most of their attacks. Getting in close was the difficult part. She had an inkling of an idea on how, but without having ever put it into practice before, the chances of success were-

"Just gonna stand there until they get here?" A voice asked, and she swung her gaze to see Aizawa sauntering up the path, hands in his pockets and regarding her with a lazy stare. His goggles were propped on top of his head rather than hidden in his capture weapon around his neck. Hair down and unruly as always, she couldn't help but stare a moment. Ready for a fight and attractive as hell. That little buzz started again in her stomach, just from having him here. He stopped a few paces away from her, glancing into Ground Delta. "Staring at the entrance isn't helping you any."

"Gee, thanks...You're going to Ground Theta?" She guessed, and he nodded. The residential area where he would have his match against Todoroki and Momo was nearby to Ground Delta. It shouldn't have come as a surprise that he'd take the same path as her. Still, she wasn't sure what to say, so she only looked back to the arena where she'd soon be pitted against Mineta and Sero.

"The students will be on their way soon for the match." Aizawa said, gesturing behind them down the path where they'd both come. "You should start preparing."

Hina sighed, uncrossing her arms and shaking her head. "I know. I'm just..."

"Stalling?" The playful glare he'd expected to be sent his way didn't come. Instead, her eyes remained fixed on the arena. He waited for her to finish the sentence, but she didn't. "You're nervous."

"Yeah..." She glanced down, slightly ashamed that she couldn't maintain the self-confidence he could. Nothing ever seemed to faze him, and she froze up at the mere thought of fighting her students to test them. How pathetic...All this effort to bolster her confidence and-

"I know that look, stop it." He suddenly said, stepping forward and lifting her chin with a hand so she was forced to look up at him. His eyes were narrowed as she met her gaze. "Enough with the negative thoughts. It's ok that you're nervous, but get rid of the idea that you're weak or going to fail. Give yourself a chance and stop thinking about it so much."

"I don't know why it scares me so much." She admitted, unable to look away from his dark eyes. Something about the way he looked at her compelled her to tell the truth. His closeness was mesmerizing. "I've been training, I know I can do more with my quirk. I know that. Maybe I'm afraid that I'll mess up and people will realize I'm benea-"

"Shh." Aizawa stopped her then, raising his brow at what she'd been about to say. "No more of that, remember?"

"I'm aware that I'm my own worst enemy, Aizawa. But saying I'll have more confidence in myself is easy compared to actually acting on it." She said sadly, smiling despite the fact. "I'm struggling."

The erasure hero stared into her eyes another moment, then leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. Not anticipating him to kiss her at that moment, she blinked in surprise and took in a small breath. His fingers traced gently along her jawline as she closed her eyes and kissed him back, their lips moving slowly against each other. The scruff of his facial hair brushed at her skin, but she didn't mind, rather enjoying the feeling. Out here on the path to the training grounds, none of the other students or staff could see them, but they didn't have a lot of time to take this any further since someone was bound to show up soon.

The moment was over much sooner than she would have liked, and he pulled away just moments later, straightening up. Her eyes opened to look up at him with slight awe.

"You'll do fine, Scarlet. I know firsthand what you're capable of. Just think of it as another training session with me, if that will ease your nerves." He said quietly, still closer to her than what was absolutely necessary. "Whether the students pass or not doesn't reflect on your ability anyway."

Hina wasn't sure what to say, mind not having totally processed their kiss yet, deciding to respond with only a reluctant nod. She was trying her hardest, truly. The most she could do was draw upon his strength and belief in her to do what she could for the students. If there was anyone she wanted to prove her worth to besides herself, it was him. Hmm...Maybe that was the way to do it. He'd always been more of a motivation to her than herself anyway.

A tiny laugh escaped her lips. "You still don't call me Hina." She observed aloud with humor. He simply raised a brow, not replying. It seemed she still had to wait on that one.

"I have to go." He said, finally stepping away to a respectable distance for coworkers to be. "My match startsi n five minutes, and I want to take a position before Todoroki and Yaoyorozu get there."

"Ok." She said, watching him step away and feeling this strange sensation that something was now missing. Her arms wrapped themselves around her waist, wishing this emptiness would go away. "Good luck with your match."

"Good luck with yours." Aizawa raised a hand in farewell and progressed further down the track.

Releasing a breath, Hina turned back to Ground Delta and shoved the uncertainty down into the deepest part of her stomach with some effort, stepping past the threshold of the arena to choose where to wait for the students to arrive.

* * *

She knew the moment the class 1-A students stepped foot into the boundaries of Ground Delta. The intercom announced the match-up and a reminder about the 30 minute time limit as well as the pass conditions. The starting horn blared out, echoing and bouncing against the rocky landscape until it faded from hearing.

She stood on top of the rock she'd chosen to observe from, close to the middle of the circular arena. Coming here half an hour early to get familiar with the layout had been beneficial. She knew where the escape gate was in comparison to the entrance the students would take to enter, and how she could use it to her benefit.

The weights were heavy on her ankles and wrists, but she tried to ignore it, watching for any sort of sign of the students close by. If they were smart, they wouldn't dawdle. Half an hour seemed like a long time, but in battle it flew by. She wondered if they had decided to try restraining her, or if they intended to run straight for the gate. Hmm.

Movement in front of her made her focus on that area, and she saw Sero's helmet flash between some rocks further ahead. They were running straight for the gate, huh? Chances are he'd also seen the teacher, what with her red hair and silver bodysuit standing out on top of the rocks. But she made no move yet, waiting until they were in her sights.

The boys ran into the small clearing where there weren't many rocks blocking her sight- the whole reason she'd chosen this spot-and stopped as soon as they saw her standing on top the rock.

"Hello, boys!" She called, arms crossed as she regarded them. "I hope you've come prepared. I might be lenient in the classroom, but out here I won't go easy. Don't expect me to feel bad and just let you pass."

From their point of view, she knew they could see the escape gate in the distance behind her, a straight shot if they could get past their Life Skills teacher. Whatever they decided to do, they couldn't afford to stand around debating it. "Come on, now. You don't have time to stand around."

Sero and Mineta both took defensive stances, probably talking to each other about what their next move should be. Shaking her head, Hina smiled and activated her quirk. Hesitating like this in front of an eyesight quirk user was not the smartest move. She supposed showing them why was necessary. At this distance, they probably couldn't even see her eyes begin glowing blue.

_"Mineta!" __"Sero!"_

Calling their names to the others' mind, the boys turned to look at each other in bewilderment.

"What? What is it?" Sero asked, but Mineta shook his head.

"You're the one who called my name!"

"No I didn't!" He defended. "You called mine!"

While they were distracted, she attempted her camouflage for the first time, erasing herself from the rocky outcropping in their minds. Whether or not it would work was the question.

Quickly figuring out that Hina had been the one to call out to them, they swung back to pose an attack but froze when she was no longer on top of the rock. "She's gone!"

Panicking, they desperately searching the rocks around them for any sign of the redheaded teacher, and Hina smiled. She figured that she'd give them ample time to figure out a way to counter her quirk before attempting any attack. Now that she was out here, actively fighting against her students, she felt ridiculous for ever having been nervous about it in the first place. They were, unfortunately, not much of a challenge as of yet. But, she wasn't going to make it easy for them, no matter the skill gap.

On top of hiding her location, her mind's eye conjured up an image of a large, snarling lion. Its growls rumbled low, reverberating off the rocks as it slinked into view of the boys. Crying out in fear, they stepped back several slow paces, keeping their distance from the beast as best they could.

"It's...just an illusion...right?" Mineta stammered out, placing himself behind Sero. "Hitagawa Sensei can't control animals...right?!"

"It has to be...Don't fall for her tricks." The taller boy said quietly shaking his head, and Hina smiled. Out of the two, the tape quirk user was more likely to see through her projections. Allowing him to keep his cool would shorten this match considerably and render her quirk less effective.

_Let's up the ante a little._

The lion let loose a loud roar, triggering the boys' instinctive fear of a wild beast. If there was one thing she knew about fear, it was that despite the brain knowing something wasn't real, the sight of a threat was very difficult to fight against. The body's natural instinct for self-preservation ran deep and wired from birth into your brain.

The lion began running straight for them, and the boys broke their formation, running separate directions to try getting away from the animal. It chased Sero down, Hina hoping that he'd be too busy running for his life to logically remember that this was all in his head. It seemed to be working, as he was growing more panicked the less his tape had any sort of effect on it. Mineta was otherwise left alone, and she hoped that he'd do something about his partner being in danger.

That seemed for naught, unfortunately. She sighed, watching him standing at the edge of the clearing of rocks to stay away from the beast. To the onlookers in the control room, they would appear to be running or hiding from absolutely nothing, with her simply watching them up on the rock. It would make for a lame playback, she knew.

Mineta simply stood there, watching with watery eyes and a fearful expression, unsure of what to do. From this distance it was difficult to tell, but he appeared to be muttering to himself. If he had any hope of being a hero, he needed to get through his instinctive cowardice and jump into action. No one would depend on a hero who didn't put himself in harm's way to save others.

Sitting there all day making them run from illusions wasn't much of a match. It was apparent that there weren't going to see through her mind tricks any time soon. Of course, keeping it going would eventually give her a migraine, but half an hour wasn't the longest she'd had to keep her quirk active for. It was manageable, and if she truly wished it, she could simply keep them locked in a maze of her own design with no exit and run down the time clock until they failed. But that seemed cheap and wouldn't give them the opportunity to learn anything. Perhaps it was time to actively participate. Jumping down from her rock, she began sprinting in Mineta's direction, intent to show him why sitting on the sidelines was unacceptable in combat.

With Sero no longer in her sights, the lion's image disappeared from behind him, and he slid to a stop. He shouted his confusion, but then noticed her running towards his partner further away. "Mineta! Look out!"

Eyes flashing, Hina created two other versions of herself running directly to the sticky ball user, and he grabbed onto a few of his 'grapes' to defend himself. "This is a test, Mineta. Standing on the sidelines isn't doing you any favors." All three told him in unison so as not to give the real one away.

"Which one of you is real?! What's going on?!" He cried out, throwing his balls haphazardly to try hitting all three of them. Her illusions dodged out of the way when they flew too close.

"Panic clouds your judgement. You're painting a target on your back." All three of them responded, dodging the projectiles with ease and approaching fast. Dropping her illusion as she closed in, she dodged one last ball before using her momentum to kick the small boy with strength. The force behind it, amplified by the weights around her ankles, sent him flying into a nearby rocky outcrop. The hard surface cracked with the impact and Mineta fell to the ground with a groan.

Surprisingly, she didn't have time to spare, as a length of tape whizzed right past her head. Yanking herself out of the way, she rolled and looked towards Sero, who'd ran over to help his teammate against her.

"You recover very quickly from my projections." Hina pondered, eyes flashing again. "I'm impressed."

"Come on, Mineta! We need a plan! I need your help!" Sero shouted, shooting strands of his tape in her direction to try stopping her. She dodged around it, thinking to herself that Aizawa's capture weapon was much faster and held much more of a threat than Sero's tape. This felt like child's play to her. Her reactions and speed may be slower due to the weights, but these students hadn't had years of training to get themselves to a point where they could stop her. She smiled.

"Your teamwork broke the moment I started using my quirk." She told him, running at him quickly. He sent waves of tape at her, hoping she'd keep her distance. "Had you both kept your cool and acted sooner, then you might've already subdued me."

"Mineta!" Sero called again, glancing towards his partner.

Hina was almost within melee range, and she readied her fists.

_Left!_ Her instincts screamed at her, and she skidded to a halt. Dozens of sticky balls flew past her, blocking her from getting to Sero without being hit with some. She sprang backwards several steps, looking at Mineta who was back on his feet and crying from where he'd just been sent into the rock.

"What's your idea, Sero?" Mineta asked, watching her and holding two more of his balls in hand to throw. She regarded them evenly, stopping her quirk for the time being. She could feel the beginnings of what would form into a migraine at the back of her skull. It was minor and more of an annoyance than pain at the moment, but recklessly using her quirk now would cause it to worsen.

"Her quirk is just like Aizawa Sensei's. She has to be able to see us in order for her to mess with our heads." Sero revealed, and Hina smiled proudly. "If we split up, she won't be able to use her quirk on both of us at the same time. It'll give us a chance."

"Do you really want to try capturing her? I don't know how much time we have left." Mineta said, worried and nervous at the thought of having to battle her further.

Sero's helmet nodded seriously. "I'll keep her busy, you run for the exit. Either way, we have a chance to win. There's only one of her. She can't be in both places at once and it doubles our chances of passing if we try both ways."

"But-" Mineta started, and Sero jumped into action, sending his tape shooting towards her.

"Just go!"

Dodging out of the way of Sero's tape, Hina watched as Mineta took off past him towards the escape gate. "You're fast learners." She praised, changing directions to pursue the purple costumed boy. She felt confident she could handle Sero's attacks and still stop Mineta from reaching the gate. Her priority now was just making sure he didn't get there in time.

Hina's eyes flashed, projecting a wall of rock rising around him to prevent his progress. It worked as intended, and Mineta stopped running, not wanting to run straight into the wall of-

Her world went dark, and her head was wrapped with a length of cloth or...Sero's tape. "Ugh!" She grunted, caught off guard by her sudden lack of vision. Her projection was cut off, and she knew Mineta had begun running again.

Sensing more than seeing Sero approaching her from behind, she jumped out of the way and tried wrenching the stuff off her face. It stuck to her hands and had tangled in her hair. Pulling it only caused her pain and seemed to make it worse. "Damn it..."

_Not now...you were doing so well! Come on, they're all watching from the control center._

Knowing that Sero intended to put the handcuffs on her wrists, she kept moving despite not being able to see where she was going. It was mostly a clearing, so there were few rocky outcroppings to accidentally bump into.

She felt another length of tape zip by her arm, and she rolled on the ground to get away from it. Managing to expose one of her eyes from the tape, she hurriedly glanced around to find him. He was prepping another length of tape from his elbows, but her eyes flashed blue, and she was gone from his sight.

She saw his expression change from determination to hesitation, and spun in place as if expecting her to appear behind him. Wasting no time, Hina ran towards his exposed back, tape still covering one half of her face.

Her leg swept out and knocked him off his feet. He cried out in surprise, not having expected her to close in this fast. Without so much as giving him a second to react, she grabbed him by his helmet and smashed it into the rocky ground, cracking it and hearing him grunt out in pain.

He didn't move once he was down, and she stood, finally able to wrangle the tape covering her face and tossing it to the ground. Her gaze directed itself towards Mineta, who was much closer to the escape gate then she would have liked. Setting her jaw, she sprinted in the direction he was running, causing his vision to go black.

Her headache was growing worse, and she winced, feeling a pinch at the back of her skull. Heavy breaths escaped her. They were certainly proving to be a better challenge than what she had assumed previously. Sero had been very smart to split their group up, especially with her quirk restrictions.

Mineta was still blindly stumbling in the direction of the escape gate, despite his lack of vision. Hina was catching up quickly, boots thumping a rapid beat against the rocky earth. Up ahead was more of the rocky formations, and he somehow stumbled out of her sight behind one of them, releasing her projection.

"Fuck..." She muttered, knowing that he could be running full speed at the gate again. It was a toss up as to if she could reach him before he managed to get through. She glanced up and jumped up onto the nearest rock, deciding that traveling at a high perspective would be better for her.

Her feet ran from rock to rock, keeping in the direction of the gate. She knew the general area where she'd last seen Mineta, but now she couldn't be sure of where he was. Eyes scanning the ground ahead, she finally stopped, realizing that she should have been able to see him by now.

Chest heaving from all the running, she looked around, seeing no sign of the purple costumed student. The path to the escape gate was clear, with no one in sight. Where in the hell had he gone?

Sweeping her gaze back the way she'd come, she paused, surprised to see glimpses of Mineta running back towards where Sero was laying unconscious. She stood straighter, taking a second to catch her breath.

"What...?" She muttered, unsure why he had given up the chance to escape by himself. They could have won the match by now. She wasn't keeping track of the time, but there couldn't have been all that long left on the clock. Mineta was really pushing their luck at this rate.

Shaking her head with confusion, she ran back along the top of the rocks to catch up with him, deciding that the next chance she got, she'd end the match. She'd given them both plenty of chances to show their stuff and counter her quirk. But they'd taken too long and she knew she could take them down without guilt. She'd fail them without any remorse now.

Mineta broke free of the rocky outcroppings and entered the clearing where Sero was laying unresponsive. She flashed out her quirk, but immediately stopped, feeling a sharp pain at the back of her skull. Shit, she hadn't realized she'd used so much of it. Normally projecting her thoughts didn't cause her this much pain after such a short amount of time. Apparently the images took a lot more out of her than she expected.

Reaching the clearing, she jumped down onto the ground again and ran towards them with gritted teeth. Mineta reached Sero and grabbed his unconscious teammate, dragging him behind a rock so she couldn't see them any longer. Hina was really getting frustrated now, but couldn't help but feel proud that they were formulating plans and thinking about the situation with a good deal of success.

She reached the rock where they'd disappeared behind and found Sero laying there. She swung around, not seeing Mineta nearby. Panting from all the running, she shook her head, feeling like something wasn't right here...

"Ha!" Mineta called out, jumping down at her from one of the rocks above.

Startled, she spun and swung her leg up to kick him away from her. But instead of being pushed away by the force, he simply stuck to her limb and stayed there. "Eh?" She said, losing her balance as the weight she hadn't anticipated being there dragged her balance off kilter.

She fell to the ground in a heap, and Mineta let go of the sticky balls he'd used to attach himself to her kick. He hopped away, grabbing onto what looked like Sero's tape with two of his balls attached at the ends. He flashed a fierce smile. "How's this for teamwork?"

He threw the makeshift bola at her head, and the tape wrapped itself around her eyes a few times, blocking her sight and preventing her from using her quirk on him. His sticky balls locked the tape in place, making it impossible to remove now. She was dazed and disoriented, taken by surprise by how fast things had taken a turn. Unable to see, she was helpless to react against Mineta's balls attaching her arms and legs, pinning her to the ground.

Hina struggled against the sticky balls, pulling with all her might, but the adhesive was much too strong and she felt it pull at her skin painfully. With a frustrated groan, Hina stopped struggling, eventually hearing the horns blare to indicate that the match was finished, with Sero and Mineta crossing the threshold of the escape gate within the time limit.

Despite her inability to move or see she smiled and laughed under her breath, proud that they'd found away to overpower her in the end.

* * *

A/N- Was the fight scene alright? I hope it was just as entertaining as her training sessions with Aizawa. Longer sequences I don't feel too confident with, so please let me know how I could improve them. As always, don't forget to leave a review!


	20. Chapter 20

A/N- This chapter took me several days to piece together, but I've finally got it finished! :) Sometimes it's just hard to have a date, you know?

**RHatch89-** Thanks!

**Rynxenvy-** I just can't get enough of him. Like, he is the perfect man. And ew, Mineta. Please don't ever give me that visual ever again, thank you. XD

**AnimeFan4Eternity-** Sorry this chapter took a little longer, then! The longer I think on it, the finals fights was actually one of my favorite scenes to write out so far. :) I enjoyed having her try to figure out how to keep them from their goal.

**Cunnawabum-** Thank you! Healthy! Relationships! For! The! Win! My ultimate goal, if nothing else, is for their relationship to feel real. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! Aizawa is just the perfect man, though, I mean look at him.

**LovelyFandomLover-** Hina loves teaching! It's one thing she loves more than anything else, so of course she'd be proud of them. :)

Onwards!

* * *

_I was thinking...if you aren't patrolling tonight, would you want to go to dinner? My treat this time._

Pressing the 'send' button on her phone, Hina went back to stuffing her dryer with the damp, just-washed clothing. She was running out of clean casual wear for after work purposes, having put off laundry well past what was probably socially acceptable. The only things left unworn were her pairs of shorts and sweatpants, which were fine for at-home use, but not for a date, like the one she was hoping to have that night. Assuming Aizawa was free, of course.

Neither of them had remembered to plan their promised second date as of yet since the final exams had gotten in the way. Hina had had every intention of asking him out that night of the exams, but Nemuri had insisted Hina visit her in the hospital to tell her how the match had gone. Not wanting to neglect her friend for her budding relationship with the hero course teacher, she'd agreed.

Now, it was Saturday and she had nothing to do but tackle overdue chores. Hina hoped that Aizawa wasn't caught up with hero duties or grading during the weekend, since he'd be leaving soon for the Summer training camp with his class. That man needed some time for himself, certainly. If the ever-present bags under his eyes and exhaustion were anything to go by, he was in desperate need of a day off to relax.

Shutting the dryer door and toting the now-full basket of warm clothing into the living room, she sat on the floor to start folding. The redhead spared a glance at the playing daytime program that truthfully didn't look terribly interesting. A reality show about the lives of small-time heroes, combined with the drama that they all lived together and more than one of them had dated the same person before. Blasé. It only served to create white noise anyway.

Her phone buzzed, and she snatched it up far quicker than was likely necessary, eager to see Aizawa's reply. She deflated, reading Nemuri's name on the contact.

**'The doctors said I'd be discharged tonight. Wanna get trashed with me and regret our decisions in the morning? ;)'**

She supposed if Aizawa was busy, she had something else she could do. But still...she'd been looking forward to spending more time with him. And another hangover tomorrow morning didn't sound too appealing. Disappointment colored her reply.

_'Not particularly...'_

**'Come on, get out of the house. Have a drink. What else would you even be doing tonight, staring at the tv?'**

_'Didn't they prescribe you pain medication? And you want to go drinking?'_

**'I just won't take my next dose after I leave the hospital. Plus, you're avoiding the question!'**

Hina didn't really feel like going out to a bar with Nemuri, knowing that it would either involve a lot of fan pictures and fielding potential one night stands from getting to her friend while she was drunk off her ass, or a painful hangover for herself the next morning. Neither of which sounded appealing.

_'I actually already have plans tonight, you know. Ones that don't involve staying at home by myself.'_

**'Such as?'**

Hina stared at her phone, chewing her bottom lip. She tried to think of something on the spot, not really wanting to admit to a date that hadn't even been set in stone yet. She'd never been great with thinking up stuff like that. Before she could start on a reply, the little dots indicating Nemuri was typing showed up again.

**'You can't deny me a night of fun without telling me what you'll be doing instead.'**

Well, there didn't seem much point in lying. Nemuri was going to find out eventually, and the redhead couldn't think of anything else that would be gossip-worthy enough to sate her curiosity. She'd pester her until the truth came out.

_'I'm going on a date tonight. I think. Still waiting on a reply.'_

She expected an immediate response. Nemuri had obviously read it, thanks to the indicator below her message, but there was no dots this time around. No frantic reply with a zillion exclamation points as anticipated. Nothing at all. Had she gone into shock from the unexpectedness of it? Hina stared at the screen, anticipating a reply, but after about a minute, she just shook her head and went back to folding.

The phone buzzed again. Well, several times, to be precise.

**'!'**

**'a date?'**

**'when did this become a thing?'**

**'i don't know if i should be proud or pissed because you didn't ask me for advice!'**

**'where are you going? what are you doing?'**

**'If you tell me it's with anyone other than Shouta I swear I'll strangle you'**

Rolling her eyes, Hina tried replying before she was sent another ten messages with no semblance of grammar or punctuation because of the speed at which she was firing them off. She should have known this would happen. Stupid Hina.

_'Yes, it's him, calm down. I haven't even gotten a reply if he wants to or not. It's not that big a deal. I didn't want to tell you about it until I knew this would work out. It's a second date, and we're taking things slow.'_

After exactly 12 seconds, her phone's ringtone immediately started ringing, with Nemuri's contact picture on the front. Hina gingerly tapped the 'Answer' button and held up the phone to her ear. She had to pull the phone away quickly because she was instantly assaulted by Nemuri's outrage.

_"You already went on a date and you didn't tell me!?"_ Nemuri cried out in anguish. She wondered if the hospital staff would be visiting her for keeping her voice down, as she wasn't slated to discharge until later that evening. _"Hina, are we even still friends!?"_

_"Date? What date? What's going on?"_ Another voice that sounded suspiciously like Hizashi asked in confusion. Dread sinking into her stomach, Hina lifted the phone from her face and saw that Nemuri had, indeed, connected the three of them into a conference call. In the span between her last text message and when she dialed her, she'd apparently roped Hizashi into a call too. God damn her...

"You brought Hizashi into this!? Nemuri, I cannot _believe_-"

_"Hina has a thing for Aizawa. And apparently they are now going on a SECOND date tonight. Did you know anything about this!?"_ She asked the voice hero, bowling over the redhead when she went to chastise her for bringing Hizashi into this in the first place. This conversation had gone downhill so fast...

_"No! But, really? I totally dig it!"_ He said, sounding pleasantly surprised rather than scandalized like Nemuri did. "_Shouta needs someone like you, I think. Have you hooked up yet?"_

"No!"

_"There's no way Hina could hide something like that from me. No way!"_ Nemuri said.

Hizashi laughed. _"You didn't have a clue about them dating, so apparently she can!"_

_"Obviously Shouta hid all of this from you too, so you're one to talk."_

_"Have you met the guy? He has the facial range of a puppet sometimes! You can't exactly blame me. He's not gonna gush about a girl he has a crush on to me, Nemuri."_

"Oh my god..." Hina muttered, listening to the two of them begin talking about her new and growing relationship with the hero course teacher as if she weren't even there, and she debated whether hanging up on them would even do anything for her at this point. Left unsupervised, these two would spread the info all around the school by morning though, so perhaps it was best to at least hear what they were discussing.

At least now it sounded like Nemuri's outrage had passed and she was actually happy for Hina. Hizashi and her mentioned Aizawa and how he had never dated anyone before and it was about damn time. Hina could do nothing but sit there and wait for them to finish.

Her phone buzzed against her ear, and she checked the notification while they continued on with their own little conversation. It was a text alert, and she smiled, seeing Aizawa's reply. The poor man was oblivious to his two closest friends talking about him as she read it.

**'I can pick you up at 7? Or whenever works for you.'**

Tuning out Hizashi's and Nemuri's excited droning, she typed out a quick reply.

_'It's a date.'_

**'Also...any idea why Hizashi and Nemuri are currently bombarding my phone with eggplant emojis?'**

Hina sweatdropped, still ignoring the lively discussion happening in her they were multitasking.

_'I'll tell you later.'_

* * *

For the next several hours, long after she'd hung up from the conference call with her two coworkers, Hina's phone was similarly spammed with various messages from both Nemuri and Hizashi about her date for the night. They ranged from encouraging to downright lewd; Hizashi was trying to at least show that he thought the two of them would be a good couple, though the way he insistently sent long blocks of nothing but ring emojis, eggplants, water drops, and some sort of kissy face really skewed the intent behind it.

Nemuri was a bit more direct about her meaning, asking if they'd done the down and dirty for real or if Hina wanted any tips on how to set the mood for the 'post-date exercise.' Hina resorted to turning her phone on silent mode for the remainder of the afternoon, sick of feeling it vibrate in her pocket over and over again.

Right at 7 o'clock-Aizawa was prompt if nothing else-Hina heard a knock at her apartment door. She opened it with a smile, and tried not to stare at the sight of Aizawa in casual clothing. An easy feat, it was not.

Half of his long hair pulled back in a messy bun, the rest left down to it's normal length. Somehow he always managed to make the locks look so soft. She'd be lying by saying she hadn't thought about reaching out and dragging her fingers through it at times. Especially now that it wouldn't be too weird since they were technically dating.

Very different from his daily outfit, he had on a dark red, long-sleeved shirt paired with comfortable jeans. It was a little more form fitting than his hero costume, accentuating his toned arms a bit. Hina was definitely appreciating that little point.

"Wow, you clean up nicely..." She said, stepping out from her doorway and shutting the door behind her. She didn't miss the way his gaze flitted across her best pair of jeans and a green dressy blouse, sleeveless blouse to add a bit of color.

"Hmm..." He said, the skin of his neck growing a faint shade of pink and wearing an expression of content. "Green looks nice on you."

Hina's head tilted a bit as she smiled, reveling in his compliment. He already looked relaxed and they hadn't even started the date yet. Things were going well. She couldn't recall the last time he'd been in such a good mood before. Certainly never at school. He was always far too stressed.

Then he sighed, shooting her a curious look. "I'm going to assume that Nemuri and Hizashi know about us, if the dozens of texts are anything to go by." Aizawa suddenly guessed with a raised brow. Hina winced, tugging at the bottom of her blouse.

"I'm afraid so...I couldn't come up with a good enough excuse for why I wasn't drinking with her tonight, so I just told the truth. She dragged Hizashi into it from there." The redhead finished with a shrug. "I told them we were taking things slow and didn't want to make a big deal out of everything, but you know how they are. I'll probably have to bribe them into keeping their mouths shut. Even _that_ might not work."

His eyes closed for a moment, taking a slow breath, but after releasing it he seemed back to being content as before. "I guess I shouldn't have expected for this to stay out of their radar forever. But it's fine."

"You're sure?" She asked in concern. He'd been the one to ask if they could keep their budding romance quiet for now, until they were both more comfortable with what was between them. That had been fine with her, as there was still a note of confusion as to how quickly she wanted things to progress, or what exactly they both wanted from this relationship."I could ask them to seriously keep it to themselves. I'm sure they wouldn't go against your wishes as your best friends."

"Don't worry about it." He finally said with a shake of his head. "What's done is done."

Hina nodded, unable to explain her feelings. There was this tiny spark of happiness that he didn't mind his friends knowing about them. The whole school might be a different story, though... "Ok."

"What are you in the mood for tonight?" He asked, changing the subject.

She went to answer, but her ringtone went off before she could get a word out. Letting loose a small sigh, Hina shot Aizawa an apologetic glance before checking the caller ID. A frown replaced her wry smile.

"It's the Commissioner." She muttered worriedly, wasting no time in answering the call. Aizawa stopped walking when she held the phone up to her ear. "Scarlet Seer speaking."

_"This is Commissioner Jino."_ His deep, gruff voice greeted. She could tell this wasn't a conversation for catching up and exchanging pleasantries. _"Another hero has been found unresponsive within the past few hours. Same situation as the previous victims. We were granted medical custody due to our ongoing investigation and had him transported to the closest hospital. I'd like you to use your quirk to see if there's any further information you can glean from his mind."_

Eyes closing sadly, she let out a disappointed breath. It wasn't just that her date with Aizawa was being interrupted. Oh no. In the grand scheme of things, that was the least of her concerns right now. Her brother had struck again. Another hero, psyche no doubt broken and as of yet irreparable. Four in total now. Four victims to her bloodline.

"Where was he found?" She inquired, hand rubbing at her neck nervously. Aizawa caught her eye, hands in his pockets and waiting patiently for her call to end. He knew what was going on, and thankfully didn't seem too upset that things had been halted for the night. He flashed an understanding quirk of his mouth, nonverbally reassuring her that he wasn't in any rush.

_"The victim was found in his own apartment in Hosu City. We're lucky we caught this so quickly. The Commissioner reached out for any similar cases the other districts may have encountered. The MO stood out to us, but there's something different about it this time."_

"He's moved to Hosu now..." She wondered aloud, feeling a surprising spark of relief at the news. Following up the relief was confusion. Why was he there? Perhaps he still didn't know where she was...

_"From what we understand, yes."_ Jino replied. _"We're still looking into what could have caused the change in location."_

"I see." Hina said. Figuring she wouldn't learn anything more until she got to the hospital, she kept the few questions she still had to herself until then. "I will be there as soon as I can."

_"Thank you. I will see you shortly."_

The line disconnected after that, and she turned to Aizawa, suddenly feeling tired. Why couldn't things go off without a hitch? Just once? Not for the first time, Daichi was making her life more difficult than it needed to be. Wrecking her life from afar. "There's been another victim."

He nodded, no doubt having inferred that from her call. The news surprisingly didn't seem to upset him as much as she thought it would. He had walked a good fifteen minutes to get here, after all, and now it was sounding more and more like their date wasn't going to happen. "I understand. Duty calls. Raincheck on dinner?"

Hina almost apologized. Almost. But her mouth shut into a fine line. Dissatisfied with the possibility of having to wait another week before spending more time with him like this, Hina shook her head resolutely. She couldn't care less if Daichi suddenly showed up out of the blue right that second, or if fire rained down from the sky. She was having this damn date with Aizawa.

"You know what? No. Like hell I'm gonna make you walk all the way to my place for nothing. Come with me to the hospital and we'll get takeout on the way home. I'm not waiting another week just to spend more time with you." She declared, grabbing his hand and dragging him towards the direction of the hospital. He stumbled for a moment, caught off guard, but recovered and allowed himself to be pulled along.

She seemed to realize how aggressive her request had come out to be, daring a glance at the man behind her but still maintaining her walk. "...If that's alright with you."

"Of course." He replied in amusement, a little rare smile gracing his lips. That small gesture alone made him even more adorable to her. Adorable was never a word she would have thought to use to describe him up until now, but suddenly it fit how she felt perfectly.

It dawned on her that she was seeing a side to him that most others probably didn't know existed, and that was the cherry on the cake. Returning his smile, she stopped dragging him and slowed her pace, walking side by side with him down the sidewalk towards their destination, fingers still intertwined.

* * *

They were ushered to the same 4th floor hospital room as the first time she'd been summoned by the police Commissioner. But this time, a fourth hospital bed was set across from the other three. A bulky, sharp-haired man lay atop it. Medical personnel tended to his body, monitors and needles placed in essential parts of his body to keep him alive.

Jino stood at the foot of the bed, shaking his head sadly, then turned when he heard them enter.

"Scarlet Seer. Eraserhead." He greeted, then looked at Aizawa with a little surprise, probably not expecting to see him too. "As I stated on the phone, the victim was found in his apartment in Hosu. This is the first we've seen him deviate from his alleyway attacks or his MO thus far. He is the first victim to have physical injuries."

Both heroes faced the new victim, but she felt Aizawa tense beside her. Frowning, she noted the surprised expression as he stared at his face. Recognition flashed through his eyes. Was the man famous? She didn't know him...

"Who is he?" She asked. Jino opened his mouth, but Aizawa was the one who answered.

"Mister Blaster. He's based out of Hosu City." He informed her, eyes still riveted on the stitches and scratches lining his forehead. The mixture of emotions in his eyes was too much for her to interpret.

"Do you know him?"

"Yes."

Jino spoke up then, looking thoughtful. "Ah, now that you mention it...you both came from the same graduating class didn't you, Eraserhead?"

_A classmate, maybe a good friend._ Hina connected the dots, then turned back to the man on the bed.

"Give me just a moment." She said, eyes glowing a bright cyan as she activated her quirk. If she could help his friend in any way, she would definitely try.

Her vision of the hospital room gave way to that familiar inky darkness she'd experienced in the other three heroes minds. The space was speckled with the vibrant yellow shards of his psyche. Immediately, Hina noticed something different in Mister Blaster's mind. This time the pieces were much larger. Whereas the other victims' had been fragments and in some cases fine dust, these were as large as her palm, floating above and around her in a sparkling night sky of his mind.

"Raaargh!" She heard to her left, body tensing from the unexpectedness of the sound. She backed up out of the way to avoid the right hook aimed at her face. A wild and scowling face showed the intent behind it. The 'whoosh' of air at her cheek made her flinch, and she scrambled to get out of the way as he continued his pursuit, swinging wildly at her.

"Please stop! I'm not here to hurt you!" She shouted.

"Liar!" The man roared, pain and distrust evident in his expression and posture. Unlike the others, Mister Blaster was clothed, though they were worn and ragged. He was tense, breathing heavily with eyes wide completely focused on her and nothing else. He shook himself off, preparing to barrel forward again.

The wave of self-loathing and vulnerability that surrounded him and his mind was palpable, and her moment of distraction cost her. One of the shards cut at her arm, and the moment of shock gave him the opportunity he needed to make a connection. His elbow caught her temple harshly, and she was sent off to the side, sliding against the black floor with a grunt of pain.

Her skull felt bruised, but nothing serious at the very least. This was all in his mind, so there wouldn't be any physical wounds to her body, but it would certainly hurt nonetheless.

"Wait! Just listen-urgh!" She cried, trying to fight him as crashed on top of her, keeping her in place. His strength was evident as the punches began, and Hina was dazed and disoriented, but she held onto her mental connection with an iron grip, intent not to be forced out now. She wanted to help this man, even if he didn't know why she was there.

It was apparent he intended to crush her into a bloody pulp at this rate, his instinct for self-preservation outweighing any logic at the moment. Face bruised and a bust lip, she tried blocking his attacks with everything she had. "Mister Blaster-uurgh!-please! Let me just talk to you!"

Miraculously, he stopped, but the unease and distrust was still present. "Who the hell are you? What do you want?"

"My name is Scarlet Seer! I'm a hero!" She panted, relieved that the punches had stopped. Her voice came out high-pitched and quick, trying to get her message across.

"Get out of my head! I hate it!" He bellowed, and she nodded frantically.

"I know!" She held up her hands in a placating gesture. They were both breathing heavy, the aura of self-loathing pressing down on them both. "I know, and I'm sorry...but this is the only way I can communicate with you. Your psyche has been broken."

"I'm not broken..." He growled threateningly, and she let out a breath, afraid he'd start punching again. "No one can break me."

"No, no, that's not...I'm..." She swallowed thickly, tasting blood. "-please...just let me sit up and I'll tell you what's going on..."

He stared down at her with suspicion. Wearing her heart on her sleeve, she waited anxiously, hoping he'd determine that she wasn't there to cause further harm to him. Slowly, like a wounded animal, he eased up from her torso and sat back. Now free of his weight, she straightened and touched her lip, feeling the split and seeing red on her fingertips.

"You throw a hard right hook, I'll tell you that..." She panted with a little laugh, breathing beginning to even out now that he was in a calmer state. She rubbed at her jaw, the soreness blossoming now that things were settled down. She'd definitely be feeling that once she pulled out of his mind.

"Scarlet...something? I've never heard of you." Mister Blaster surmised suspiciously.

"Scarlet Seer." She repeated evenly. "I'm based out of Musutafu, and a teacher at UA. Do you know where you are right now?"

She noticed the recognition from his eyes at the mention of her workplace. Mister Blaster shrugged, looking around at the yellow glass-like pieces floating in the space around him. "Of course I know where I am! This is...this is just..."

Hina sighed quietly, knowing this was going to be a difficult conversation. If her hunch was correct, Daichi had been preying upon each hero's inner demons and exploiting them. With that in mind, obviously Mister Blaster had some issues with his sense of self, the depressive aura of self-loathing and vulnerability still sinking deeper. She tried her best to ignore it.

"We are currently in your head. In your psyche. Do you know who attacked your mind?"

"Some punk kid with...red hair." He muttered, staring at Hina intensely. His shoulders grew tense again, hands forming fists.

She sighed, nodding. "Yes, I am related to him. He's my brother. But I am not affiliated with him whatsoever. I'm trying to stop him from doing this. That's why I'm here."

"What did he do to me?" He asked, deciding to tentatively trust her for now. He still looked about ready to start swinging again, but at least she had his attention.

"See all these yellow shards?" She pointed up around them, and he followed the direction of her finger. "That is your psyche, your mental state. Normally, this place would represent itself as some sort of happy place. Something you familiarize with."

"You're saying I've gone crazy?" He spat.

"No. I'm saying my brother shattered your consciousness. You're stuck here, in your mind. Like a coma." She summarized with a shrug. It was difficult to be tactful about it, and figured that he was the type that would benefit from her being blunt. "In reality, you're unresponsive on a hospital bed in Musutafu."

Mister Blaster's brows furrowed as he took in all this information. His arms crossed and he looked at his lap. Hina waited, giving him time. "I'm dying?"

"No, they're keeping you in a stable condition. To keep things simple, you just won't wake up. Until we find a way to help you-"

"I don't need help. I'll figure it out myself and get back at that bastard." He interrupted, turning his glare towards her.

The redhead shook her head but said nothing, deciding not to retort her disbelief. "Maybe so, but we need your help. We need to know what happened, to see if there's anything you saw that could help us catch him."

"How am I supposed to believe you? You're blood. For all I know, you could be wanting to help him."

"I especially want him stopped. He's my brother, yes, but he's a villain. He's sick and twisted. Everything he does brings down my family name. So please..." She caught his eye and maintained her stare. "Is there anything you can tell me about the attack that might lead me to him?"

It took a long time, but Hina was patient. Whatever was making him hesitate, she couldn't tell. Maybe pride, maybe embarrassment. The emotions swirling around them, Hina had trouble keeping her own in check. Enveloping herself in someone's mind made her susceptible to the emotions they felt.

His teeth gnawed at his lower lip, thinking hard. "I finished patrolling and went into my apartment. I didn't hear or see anyone behind me, but I felt a presence...couldn't explain it better than that. Next thing I know, this muscular villain is attacking me and the brat is getting in my head."

"There was someone else with him?" She reiterated, frowning. "He wasn't alone?"

"Yeah, the big guy is the one who knocked me around. Your brother's eyes were glowing, but he didn't try to approach me or anything. Figured he was the conniving one with the mind powers..."

None of what he'd just said made a whole lot of sense. Daichi, to her knowledge, had never worked with anyone. He'd always been the lone wolf type. This was a very confusing development.

"What did he look like?"

Mister Blaster shrugged with a shake of his head. His scowl was intimidating. "I don't know...big? Bald? I wasn't too focused on painting a picture of him in my head at the time."

"Did they say anything? Do anything strange?" She pressed, but he scowled.

"No, lady. They just fucking attacked me! Caught me off guard, otherwise I would've crushed 'em! Two on one? Cowardly!" He growled angrily. "A real villain would've faced me like a man."

"Nothing else comes to mind? Any small detail might help."

"I already told you! Nothing else."

"Ok." She said, backing off her questions. He was growing angrier by the minute. His vulnerability issues weren't doing her any favors. There wasn't anything else to be learned now. Hina stood from her spot in the darkness, careful not to touch any of the shards above her.

"Where are you going?" Mister Blaster asked, standing too when she moved.

"I'm leaving. I've learned all I can from you. Now we just have to hope it's enough to find him." She stated, watching him carefully. He was tense again, as if ready to resume his beating again. "In the meantime, hopefully I can find a way to fix the damage he's done to you."

Frown in place, he reached up to the closest shard, then hissed and pulled away as his fingers made contact with the sharp surface. The shard's yellow surface was now tainted with his red blood.

"Hey lady..." He called just before Hina ended her quirk. She paused, waiting expectantly. His eyes searched hers for a long time, the facade of arrogance eventually shedding away layer by layer as he debated whether to speak his mind or not.

"Yes?" She prompted, hoping he'd say something soon if he was going to, because her head was beginning to hurt. Both from quirk overuse and the punches he'd thrown her earlier.

He swallowed, glancing around uneasily, then shook his head. His voice was quiet, defeated. "Just...hurry up and fix me...I don't want to be stuck in here forever..."

Heart clenching, because the redhead had no idea if she could even help these people that Daichi traumatized and hurt, she managed a small smile. If only for his sake.

"I promise I'll find a way to bring you back."

With the cessation of her quirk, Hina was brought back to reality with a jerk, where she was sitting in a hospital chair, and a hand steadying both of her shoulders. She hadn't recalled sitting down before delving into his mind. She blinked, getting her bearings, before looking at Aizawa who was crouched in front of her. A frown marked his face.

"What's wrong?" She asked, then winced, feeling the pain of Mister Blaster's assault in full force. Her hand pressed at her jaw, hissing in pain.

"I should be asking you that." He said, looking her over for signs of injury but found none. His hands released her shoulders. "You started flinching with pain and almost collapsed. I was going to use my quirk to bring you out, but then it stopped."

"Oh, right..." She realized that her tussle with the patient had probably come across in her physical body. They'd probably panicked, unsure of what was happening. "It's nothing to worry about. Mister Blaster just wasn't sure who I was, but we talked it out."

"You were able to make contact with him?" The Commissioner asked eagerly. Contact meant information. And that was what he was in desperate need of right now.

Hina nodded, holding her head gingerly in an attempt to alleviate the throbbing. "Yes. He was more coherent than the others. He said he was followed into his apartment by two men, my brother and another muscular villain."

"Did he recognize the other one?" Jino began writing this down on his notepad, not missing a single detail.

"No, it didn't seem like it." She said. "Other than that, there wasn't much he could give me. The assault was quick."

"Did he give a description?"

"Just that he was large and bald. He grew irate after that, so I decided to stop asking questions." She explained, standing from the chair once most of the initial mental pain had passed. She unconsciously swiped her thumb across her lip, but found no blood. Her busted lip was just psychosomatic. Aizawa was watching her closely, noticing her actions.

She perked up, remembering something. "Oh, there was one other thing. The fragments of his mind were much larger than the other heroes'. I think that's why he was coherent enough to talk to me. Daichi probably didn't have time to destroy his mind to the extent of the others, so he simply attacked what he could and didn't finish the job."

She shrugged. "That's what my first thought was. I don't know for sure what happened after he was attacked though."

"Well, this is certainly more than we had 20 minutes ago. And it gives us a clue as to a second perpetrator." Jino remarked, putting his notepad away and addressing the two heroes. "I appreciate your hard work. I'll call you if we have any further need for your quirk."

Hina nodded tiredly, following after Aizawa as they left the bright hospital room behind.

* * *

Aizawa's apartment was closer to the hospital than Hina's. They grabbed takeout from the nearest sushi stall, both starving and tired and eager to kick back and relax. The trip to the hospital had taken longer than anticipated, and now their stomachs were growling their displeasure.

Twenty minutes later they found themselves seated on his living room floor, up against the leg rests of his couch, eating from their food boxes and watching a documentary on the history of quirks. Not because it had looked all that amazing, but because there was very little else on at this late hour. After awhile though, it sort of drew Hina in. She ate her food in peace, relaxing beside her date.

One lamp was turned on in the corner, but that was the only light in his apartment. Hina had wanted that 'romantic dim lighting' as she'd called it, and he didn't mind obliging. She'd somehow found his stash of blankets in his linen closet, and had proceeded to made the carpet more comfy with the additional padding.

Aizawa had found a bottle of wine in his cupboard that he'd never ended up opening-a gift from Nemuri some time ago for a holiday he couldn't remember. He preferred harder liquors to wine, but kept it around for the right occasion. Hina more than appreciated when he dug it out and opened the cork, and sipped slowly at the red drink as she ate. She hadn't had a good wine in ages, so it was a welcome change.

"I vote for more at-home dates." She suddenly said, glancing at him with content. "This beats a stuffy restaurant any day."

"Hmm." He nodded his agreement, glad she thought so. The comfy at-home atmosphere was just to his liking. "I'll enjoy it while I can. The beds at the training camp aren't even better than my couch. I'm not looking forward to being away from home either."

Hina looked at him, reminded that he'd be leaving soon. "A whole week, right? You'll be gone awhile. It'll be strange not seeing you every day."

"I'm sure you'll manage." He said, and she could see the corner of his lip lifting in amusement. "Hizashi and Nemuri will keep you company."

"No." She said, deadpan. "They'll interrogate me while you're away. I'll probably be institutionalized by the time you get back from them driving me crazy."

He chuckled under his breath. "Just avoid them, then."

"I work with them. How am I supposed to do that?" She bemoaned teasingly, shaking her head. That was an impossible task, avoiding the two biggest snoops at UA. They could probably hunt her down from the other side of the city and weasel out of her whatever gossip they were looking for. "If I didn't know now that I can at least hide myself with my quirk, I'd seriously consider calling in sick all next week. Even then, they both know where I live."

"Is that what you did during the exam?" He questioned, interest piqued. "I watched your match, but it was difficult to follow."

"Hmm, yeah I imagine it was." Hina smiled, thinking back on her fight. "I'd been toying with the idea of camouflage ever since I worked out how to project images. That was the first time I tried using it, though."

"You did well, by the way." He said, holding her gaze. "Sero isn't easily tricked, but he was struggling to keep up with you. And Mineta saw you as enough of a threat that he was forced to put aside his instinctive cowardice in order to pass."

Hina felt the red forming at her cheeks, pleased with his words of praise. Aizawa didn't give praise without reason, so she knew he meant every word. It was amazing, that feeling of validation and acknowledgement of her skills.

"Thanks..." Having finished her food, she closed the box up and set it down beside her, picking up her glass of wine to finish while they talked. "I think the biggest thing I learned from the match was that I am completely in control of my quirk. I'm not going to accidentally hurt someone unless I intend for it to. I'm not like Daichi."

"You never were." Aizawa said, curiosity marking his expression. "What ever made you think that to begin with?"

"My own...fears, I guess." She reasoned with a shrug. "But I don't think I'm afraid of it like I used to be. Which is some weight off of my shoulders I didn't realize I'd been holding on to."

He nodded, glad that she seemed much more at ease with her own power. He was relaxed and happy in her company. She turned to him then, smiling. "I went back and saw the replay of your match with Yaoyurozu and Todoroki. They're such capable students, no wonder they got in through recommendation. I was impressed."

"They struggled at first." He admitted with a shrug, finishing up his own food and setting it to the side. "But ultimately, they realized their weaknesses and adjusted their strategy. Todoroki learned to seek solutions from others, and Yaoyurozu regained the confidence she'd been lacking. It all worked out as I'd hoped."

"I saw you jump back at the last moment. Even I knew what they were going for with that tactic. You threw the match, didn't you?" She guessed, and he looked at her.

"Giving them a win every once in awhile is sometimes necessary. No use having them give up now while they still have the potential for more." He said resolutely, unabashed that he had intentionally lost for his students' sake.

"And here I thought I was going easy on Mineta and Sero." She laughed, shaking her head. "Now I know for sure. You're just a big softy, Aizawa."

"Don't go spreading rumors around." He grumped, doing his best to glare at her menacingly, but she could see past his fake annoyance. "And you were going easy. There were plenty of times you could have ended the match in the first five minutes, but you waited to see what they would do."

"You're right, you're right. Guess I'll just have to be given some more training then." Hina's smile widening in a teasing gesture. Part of her was thinking that the wine was beginning to go to her head. She wasn't normally this forward about the flirting she did engage with.

"Is that so?"

"Mhmm. Should I book an appointment?"

"I'll be pretty busy for the next few weeks. Not sure if I could fit you in my schedule." He replied evenly, eyebrow raised at her grin. His tone was serious, but the way he looked at her with amusement made it obvious he was only playing along.

She shimmied herself closer, setting the wine glass down so it wouldn't accidentally spill anywhere. Half-lidded eyes met his amused ones, and she flashed him a cheeky grin. They faced each other side by side against the couch, only a handful of inches apart. "I thought I was worth making time for?"

"Hmm..." His eyes trailed down to her lips. "I did say that, didn't I?"

"You did. So I hope you're a man of your word." She muttered, leaning forward to slowly erase the distance between them.

Their lips met in a slow kiss, neither feeling the need to hurry anything along. The scruff of his beard prickled her chin as they moved slowly against each other, her hands bracing herself on the floor so she could lean into him.

The documentary was left forgotten, playing white noise that both heroes ignored in the dim living room. She felt his hand cradle her cheek, the gentle stroke of his thumb under her eye soothing and brought on a sense of comfort. Hearing the small exhale of content, Hina smiled through the kiss, happy that she in some way was the cause of his pleasant mood.

Chest tight with the pure desire to simply kiss him, she reached out and grabbed at his shirt when he pulled away to breathe. His other hand wrapped around her waist, shifting them both so she was straddling his hips. Their eyes locked in a lazy stare, warmth evident in their gazes. They closed again when she kissed him again, this one just as slow and lazy as the first.

The hand at her cheek slid backwards into her hair, tangling his fingers in it and pulling her closer. The tip of his tongue swiped at her bottom lip, asking permission which she gladly granted. Her mouth opened to allow him entrance, and he delved in, tasting the red wine from her mouth.

Hina couldn't quite hold back her little whimper of need, feeling his arm slide from her waist to trail his fingers up her side, barely ghosting themselves on her shirt. If they continued at this rate, their mutually agreed upon decision to take things slow would be put to the test. She wasn't confident it would hold water, now that she could feel his arousal directly beneath her. Wine wasn't helping the mix.

"Mmm." She hummed, hands running up his chest to his shoulder. Their kisses grew short and quick, and she smiled again. "We...should stop." She managed in between kisses, not really believing her own words but hoping Aizawa's logic would swoop in for her.

Thankfully, his own reasoning seemed to come back to him, and he lingered for one last kiss before pulling them apart. Their foreheads rested together, breathing in the space between them to calm them down.

"Taking it slow..." He reminded them both with a tiny nod. Then a small grin lit up his face. "I'm a man of my word, after all."

Hina laughed with closed eyes, her nose scrunching up as she flashed him a smile, and he couldn't seem to look away.

She settled herself, glancing up at the clock on the wall. "It's so late..." She muttered, not looking forward to the walk home at this hour. Plus, if Aizawa insisted on walking her home like he normally did, he'd be forced to walk back on his own. It didn't sit well with her. Maybe she could convince him to let her leave by herself-

"Stay the night, if you want." He offered as if reading her mind, surprising the redhead. "You can borrow some clothes to sleep in."

Hina grinned. "What just happened to taking it slow?"

"Staying over doesn't have to mean sleeping together. The couch is pretty soft." He said with a shrug, not seeing the big deal. He'd just rather she didn't walk home in the dark, and he was too tired to escort her anywhere this late at night.

The redhead gave a little pout. "No bed?"

"Are we going slow or not?" Aizawa frowned, shaking his head in confusion.

"Fine, fine..." Hina muttered, smile returning. She finally got up from his lap so he could move, grabbing her unfinished glass of wine so it wouldn't spill. "I'm realizing how fun it is to tease you, Aizawa."

"You and everyone else, apparently..." He grumbled, quickly standing and grabbing the leftovers from the floor.

* * *

A/N- Need I reminder you this is a slowburn, my lovelies? Probably not, but we won't see the delicious lemony parts until later. ;)

As always, make sure to leave a review and let me know what you thought of the chapter! Your feedback is super important to me!


	21. Chapter 21

A/N- I'm so glad you guys liked that last chapter! I enjoyed it too. ;) There will be more to come in that regard, but for now, we've got some serious shit to discuss, don't we?

**RHatch89-** Thanks!

**Rynxenvy-** Soon, my friend. Soon...(Eggplant emojis) You gotta earn that Aizawa dick, lol. Can't drive the car if you don't got that license. ;)

**AnimeFan4Eternity-** If I was in her shoes, I'd so take every chance I could get to spend time with him. Mic and Midnight are so fun to write, lol. I'm sure they'll cause Aizawa and Hina trouble in the future for sure!

**Cunnawabum-** Setting boundaries and keeping them is the foundation to any good relationship. :) That's romance 101.

**TheTardisIsTheFourthHallow-** Yay, I'm glad you're enjoying it! Thanks for reviewing!

Onwards!

* * *

The meeting room, which was a large and spacious place to begin with, felt cramped. Stuffy, like a wave of uneasiness pressing down upon the occupants sitting inside. Tensions were palpable. Impatience even more so. The lights felt too bright, glaring down at the UA teachers. Hina could still hear the ticking clock over everything else.

It felt surreal; just days ago she was spending quality time with Aizawa, happy that she was making progress with her self and her romantic life. And now here she sat, downtrodden as they faced the reality of the world they lived in. A deep pit of hollowness settled in her body. She couldn't shake the feeling of dread, no matter how hard she tried.

News of the attack at the training camp the day prior had spread like wildfire. Students injured and, in one case, missing. Another incident they could chalk up to the League of Villains. This time, they seemed to have more members of greater threat, something none of the UA staff members were keen to acknowledge.

Classes that following day had been cancelled, even to students unaffected by the incident. No one was killed, thankfully, but they'd come extremely close if the reports were anything to go by. Hina couldn't stomach the very thought of losing a student. She couldn't imagine what Aizawa was feeling right now, having been there and seen firsthand what had been going on. He'd seen how close things had come to turning out so much worse.

The media was probably still swarming the academy's entrance gate as they sat there, shut to those without approved visitor passes. It had been hard getting into the school in the first place just to attend the meeting, since they were desperate for an official comment. Hina had ignored them, pushing her way through to enter the school.

They were relentless, however, demanding some sort of response to what was proving to be a major blow on UA's reputation. Part of her didn't blame them. The academy was supposed to be keeping the students safe, after all.

"To be attacked during a training camp meant to prepare students to fight villains..." The principal spoke then, eyes fixed on the table in front of him. "We should be embarrassed by the irony."

Snipe, All Might, Midnight, Present Mic, and herself were seated around the table, quietly listening to their employer's words. The redhead winced, spine rigid and ramrod straight as she sat in the plush chair. The unpleasant sensation of failure hung over her, over them all.

"We feared the revitalization of villains, but our understanding of it was naive." Nezu continued, folding his paws together. "They had already started their war to destroy hero society."

Midnight shook her head, hands steepled together with her elbows on the table. "Even if we had understood it, would we have been able to defend against it?"

The gossip queen was gone, replaced with a pro hero who had a responsibility to the public. The teasing and flirtatious woman Hina had been texting over the weekend was completely different now. Midnight turned to Nezu, expression hard. "With all these persistent developments unfolding one after another...Ever since All Might, most organized crime had been weeded out long ago."

Hina nodded her agreement. "The League's action so far have been organizational, and on a level we haven't seen in years. It's not something we could have expected out of the blue like this." Then, she sighed, remembering a meeting from just after the USJ incident. "I suppose we knew another incident would happen, just not this soon or of this magnitude."

"So we all got too complacent during peaceful times without realizing it, thinking we had time to prepare." Present Mic summarized, which admittedly was a pretty apt description. The rest seemed to agree that as a whole they were also guilty of that mistake, Hina included. Their own self-assuredness had caused this mess.

Hina looked over to All Might, who was looking perhaps the guiltiest of all, muttering something to himself that she couldn't hear. She frowned, never having seen him in such a state of despair before. She hadn't known he was capable of it until now.

"We can't keep taking unyielding positions like we have up to this point. Publicly ignoring what happened the way we did with USJ would be social suicide." Snipe mentioned. His fist clenched and he looked around at the others. "To have a student kidnapped is UA's greatest failure. They have stolen the trust people had in us heroes, along with Bakugou. Taking responsibility for that negligence is our only course of action."

"All the news outlets are filled with with criticism of UA right now." Nezu nodded along with what Snipe had said. "If they were trying to get Bakugou, it was likely because his violent demeanor was made common knowledge at the sports festival. Should he be won over by the villains, then it's over for UA as an educational institution."

The bear-dog-mouse held up that morning's paper, covered in scathing headlines about the academy that made Hina shake with anger. Under the table, she gripped her wrist, willing her body back into control, but she just couldn't stand to see her place of employment slandered this way. Her teeth bit her lower lip, holding back the scowl that was threatening to show through.

It was at times like these that she couldn't will herself into completely relating with the public. They criticized heroes for every little mistake they made. Often times they didn't understand the intentions behind their actions and decisions because they'd never be put in their shoes. Lives became their responsibility, and in the heat of combat not everything was black and white.

Because of their ignorance, however, she couldn't entirely fault them for panicking. Seeing a trusted and respected place of learning fail to protect the students as they had for years was something that broke their image of infallible heroes. The more human heroes became, the less the public seemed to trust in their ability to protect them.

"Bakugou may be violent and surly, but he still looks up to All Might." Hina pointed out, wanting to stand up for the student in question. "He's unconventional and rude, true, but his intentions are just and I trust in him. His only dream is to become a hero, and if the League thinks they can sway him to their side, I believe they will be sorely disappointed."

"Since we're on the topic of trust, there's something I wanted to say." Mic said, crossing his arms and looking to Nezu. The boisterous man was unusually reserved, a frown furrowing his brows. Everyone looked to him, wondering what was on his mind.

"Seeing how the attack happened as it did...I'd say it's safe to assume there's a traitor in our midst."

Hina blinked, taken aback at the very mention that one of them might not be on their side. She leaned forward. "Don't you think that's a bit of a leap in logic? We shouldn't say that lightly."

Mic shook his head, gesturing as he went on. "Just think about it. The teachers and the Pussycats were the _only_ ones to know the location of the training camp. That information was kept secret _specifically_ to prevent another villain attack like USJ. Like yesterday!"

His own anger getting the better of him, he stood, hands slamming on the table. "And the teachers aren't the only ones suspicious. Any one of the students could have used their cell phone GPS to send-"

"Mic, really now!" Midnight interrupted. "That's absurd, cut it out!"

"How are we supposed to just ignore this? This problem needs to be dealt with before things get worse then they already are. If that means cleaning house, then so be it!"

"What about you, Mic?" Snipe piped up. "Can you say you're 100% innocent? Is there any proof that anyone here is not at fault? Do you have any sort of evidence incriminating someone?"

Hina crossed her own arms, uncomfortable with the idea. "We'd only be starting a witch hunt if we took action now. We need to have evidence of wrongdoing before we start pointing fingers."

Chastened because both of them were right, Mic sat back down in his seat. The begrudging scowl was his only reply. To him, the facts pointed to a spy, a traitor, and there wasn't much they could really do to prove if there was. Hina could tell it was maddening to the radio host hero.

Snipe sighed. "I see where you're coming from, but if we start throwing baseless accusations around we'll just end up destroying ourselves from the inside. No doubt the League knew something like this would happen. We shouldn't be hasty in weeding out a possible traitor, if that _is_ what's even happening."

"At the very least, I trust all of you here." Nezu said, drawing attention back to him. Hina was glad that the principal knew how to calm a room. Tensions were high, but their faith in the mouse-dog was stronger. "Until we can rule out the possibility, I think we should move forward under the assumption that a traitor is working against us. I can't prove definitively that I'm completely innocent either, though."

Nezu closed his eyes, then looked around his faculty. All eyes were on him. "For now, what we must do as a school is guarantee the safety of the students. And with the suspected leak, there's something I've been thinking about implementing for a while now which may aid both issues. That is-"

_"A phone call is here! A phone call is here!"_

Breaking the serious discussion and causing several teachers to sigh was All Might's ringtone. He scrambled to grab the device, silencing his own obnoxious voice proclaiming the call and stood from his chair. "Excuse me, I have to take this."

"We're in a meeting, turn your phone off!" Mic berated, but All Might simply waved politely as he edged closer to the door. Hina thought to herself that he seriously needed to update his notification settings.

The door slid shut as he left the room, and the remaining faculty looked to Nezu again.

The mouse-dog-bear principal shook his head in amusement, smiling a little. "Well...this meeting has gone on long enough, I suppose. We can further this discussion once I solidify a few things for my proposed idea. For now, please keep what we have talked about to yourselves. I will brief Eraserhead and Vlad King once they return from giving their statements. Thank you."

Hina nodded her understanding in tandem with the others, and the meeting was adjourned.

* * *

The rest of the day, Aizawa didn't respond back to her messages. It would be an understatement to say that she was worried about him. The man carried enough on his shoulders as it was. There was little wonder as to why he looked so grumpy all the time. The erasure hero worried about a lot of things, his students and the responsibility he carried as a pro hero, though he'd become quite adept at hiding it all behind a facade of indifference and outward calm.

The redhead had to stop herself from sending any further messages to him than the few she already had, knowing that he wasn't likely to respond anyway, and not wanting to come across as needy or pestering. The circumstances as they were, all she really wanted was a confirmation that he was ok. But still, even later that night, he hadn't replied.

Sitting around at home all day was making her restless. She'd already cleaned every inch of her apartment until it resembled one of the model pictures from the complex's website. Dishes were done and put away, and laundry was actually finished for once. There hadn't been much to begin with, but she'd figured it beat doing nothing.

Left with nothing else to clean or put away, Hina stood in the middle of her living room, looking around with a lost expression. All this nervous energy and no way to vent it.

_I suppose I could go on patrol._ She thought to herself, realizing it had been awhile since she'd gone out and done her job as a hero. It would keep her occupied and do some good all at the same time. Normally she'd go with Aizawa as a support, but seeing as he was assumably otherwise occupied, she figured that with her quirk's progression the way it had been going, she'd be fine on her own.

Suiting back up into her hero costume, Hina locked her apartment door and headed towards the city. Night had fallen and the sidewalks were illuminated by street lights and the neon signs for businesses along the way.

At first she simply stuck to the sidewalks, branching her quirk out occasionally to people who looked like they may be up to no good. There was such a diverse mix of people out and about that night. Teenaged punks who looked shady but turned out to only be hunting for virtual pocket monsters on their phones. Middle-aged men in sophisticated businesswear that had just gotten off of a long business meeting and were looking for a bar to unwind in.

She'd thought that a young women in a hoodie had been planning to rob a store, but she'd only been lamenting her lack of money to buy a soft drink, before turning away to presumably walk home. Hina continued on, a little disappointed that it was looking more and more like a quiet, uneventful night.

Finding nothing of concern walking the main streets, she turned to the less populated sections of the city, where she rarely went unless for some specific reason. It used to be a known red light district in the evening hours, but since the reduction of organized crime with All Might's return to Japan, most of it's shadier tenants had deserted. Every once in awhile, a brave soul would venture in looking to make a quick buck for those still searching for cheap pleasure.

Hina turned to the rooftops to watch from above, scaling a fire escape ladder with ease and perching on the corner of the building to sit and watch. She was high enough that most wouldn't bother looking up that high for someone watching, but closer enough that she could quickly scale down to stop any crime being committed.

The colder evening air was nice against her skin, keeping her awake and alert as she vigilantly observed those that happened to walk through the area. She'd touch upon their minds without much effort, determining if they were there for some illegal purpose or not. Nothing of note so far.

While sitting there upon the roof's edge, she looked down at her costume, noting how her brightly colored outfit sort of stood out even in the darkness. The silver easily reflected any nearby light, and the golden accents and belt were hard to miss. She pulled at one of the portions where the bodysuit was accented, wondering if she should consider changing her costume design. It had stayed the same since high school, unchanged for years now. All Might had several different versions of his hero suit over the years. It wouldn't be all that strange for her to change the design...

A car pulled by at a low rate of speed, and Hina looked up. A younger man was sat in the driver's seat, window down and peering up and down the street. Hina crouched, activating her quirk. She suspected he was looking for a prostitute to keep him company for the night.

A moment later, her eyes went dark and she relaxed again. A foreigner visiting the country with no idea of where he was going. Nothing she had to worry about. A sigh escaped her.

She sat there another hour, watching and waiting for a crime that wouldn't come. Of course, the one night she'd decided to patrol, there was nothing to do. The old red light district was a bust, so she picked up from her lookout spot and headed another direction, sticking to the rooftops and hopping from building to building.

Hina landed on one nearby the residential side of the city. She ran several paces to go to the next one but slid to a stop, noticing a shadow in the corner of her eye. Perched on the edge of the building was a recognizable silhouette. The carbon fiber, steel alloy capture weapon floated gently around the man's head, but he didn't appear to turn to regard her.

She walked closer, and he finally glanced her direction as way of acknowledgement. But his gaze went right back to the streets below without so much as a word.

Hina's hand went to her hips. "Aizawa. Have you been patrolling all day?"

"Mmm."

Well, that certainly explained the lack of response from her texts. Maybe he simply didn't check his phone. Or he had actively ignored any messages. Either way, she supposed she'd gotten her answer as to where he was.

She stepped closer to the edge of the roof where he was perched. "Mind if I join you?"

"Do what you like." Was his short response, giving nothing away in terms of his mood. It was like they'd gone back to the way things were before she'd gotten to know him better. Unacquainted coworkers. The emotional distance between him and her was palpable. It stung a little.

For a while, she just stood there, arms crossed over her chest as she thought of something to say. The wind brushed at their figures, and the soft hubbub of the city below was calming, in a way. He was busy observing the streets below, unperturbed by the thick silence between them. Or so he made her believe by his body language. Right now, she couldn't really gauge him.

"It's hard to think about, that there might be a traitor amongst the staff..." She said aloud, eyes trailing down to the streets below. "I can't see anyone we work with intentionally putting the students in danger like that. It just...doesn't seem possible."

"There aren't many other explanations for the attack." He replied woodenly, hair and capture weapons settling back into place with his need to blink. She couldn't see his eyes behind the goggles.

Hina sighed, releasing her arms and turning her body towards him. It felt like she was talking to brick wall, but she didn't want him to feel like he had no one to turn to. "How are you holding up? You don't seem ok after what happened."

His head shook minutely. "I'm fine."

"Are you?" Brows raised incredulously, she took a step closer. He didn't bother responding to her disbelief. "Aizawa, you know this wasn't your fault, right?"

She heard him sigh. "Scarlet-"

"I'm serious." She interrupted, knowing he was probably going to warn her off from bringing this up. Maybe he didn't want to talk about it, but she felt like he needed to. "You might try to hide it from everyone else, but I can see you're carrying all this with you. It isn't ok."

She dropped it there, waiting for him to reply in some way. His shoulders were tense, even in the darkness she could tell. He worked his jaw, no doubt debating if he really wanted to have this conversation right now.

"I was in charge of their safety." He finally admitted, bitterness dripping from every word. He straightened from his crouch, but still refused to look her direction. "Maybe no one was killed, but a student was still kidnapped. Nearly two, if Midoriya and the others hadn't stepped in. This is the second time something has happened under my supervision, and I still couldn't do anything about it."

Just because he was present for the incident, he was blaming himself? She supposed if he _hadn't_ been there, he'd be blaming himself for neglecting his duty as a hero to be there when he was most needed. Could he not see the irony in that? Her man of reason was awfully illogical right now.

"Vlad was there. So were the Pussycats! You _weren't_ the sole pro hero at that training camp, and even as USJ Thirteen was there too. This isn't all on you."

Aizawa shook his head in annoyance since she obviously wasn't letting this go. "I'm their teacher."

Hina shrugged. "And so am I! That doesn't have anything to do with it."

He finally swung his head to look at her. His eyes were hidden, but that scowl was undeniable. "Of course it does! How are they supposed to trust me and my guidance if I can't even protect them properly?"

"We took every precaution to make sure they wouldn't be targeted again, and they knew that too. No one except those we could trust were given the location." Hina argued. "And if there _is_ a traitor, this is the first evidence we have of it. You had no way of anticipating they would show up."

"Heroes should be prepared for the unexpected. I have no excuse for this."

Nothing she told him was getting through. She hadn't pegged him as the stubborn type, but he casually brushed off her reasoning without any trouble. Her frown was heavy, worry for him filling her chest. He was so intent on pinning himself as the one at fault here, it hurt to watch. "We can't prepare for what we thought we'd already prevented. You need to stop blaming yourself."

He turned away, saying nothing. The unspoken desire to end the conversation was obvious to her. They may be on the same rooftop, but he felt a chasm away from anyone at the moment. The way he was isolating himself to work through his self-criticism wasn't healthy. It was painfully similar to the way she handled her own confidence issues and she didn't want to see him sink to that level.

Hina was afraid that something else was going on to make him feel this way. In any other circumstance, she'd never resort to using her quirk to figure out what was on someone's mind. It felt like a major breach of trust and privacy in most cases, but she was concerned that he wasn't telling her something. Her eyes began to glow blue and she looked into the first few layers of his mind.

She was startled when she saw a flash of red, and her quirk vanished as if it was never there. The suddenness made her take a step back, and she was fixed with Eraserhead's piercing stare evident even behind his goggles. His black hair floated in angry tendrils above him. The capture weapon coiled and spun with the activation of his quirk.

"_Get out_ of my head." He demanded icily.

_How did he know?_

It was rare for others to detect her intrusion unless they too had a mental-based quirk. She'd tapped into his mind plenty of times to project her thoughts at him, but he'd never reacted to her presence before. Something had changed, or perhaps he'd just become used to the way her quirk felt by now, having been exposed to it so frequently. Right now, however, she pushed that surprise revelation to the side to focus on the man in front of her.

"I'm sorry." She stated sadly, meeting his stare unflinchingly. His aura was intimidating, but Hina had never been afraid of Eraserhead or what he might do to her. Even in anger, he would never put her at risk. Eyes locked on each other, Hina stepped closer until she was directly in front of him.

He said nothing, didn't even move, watching her as she approached. Her hands reached up, lifting the goggles from his eyes to his forehead so she could look at him properly. The irises were still a vibrant red, quirk still activated. Her thumb tenderly brushed the scar under his eye, reminding him that he already did everything he could to protect those kids, more than was expected of him even.

"Please don't shut me out." Hina muttered. "I'm worried you'll lose yourself to the guilt."

She waited. For any sort of reaction, really. She just wanted him to face what had happened without placing it solely on his shoulders.

Eraserhead's red gaze lingered for several moments, watching for...something. Hina didn't know what. Until he let out a tired sigh. Eyes closing, his hair and the capture weapon fell back into place around him. The intimidation melted away to expose the tired and disappointed man underneath. Aizawa opened his eyes, half-lidded with exhaustion, and reached up to grasp the hand she'd kept placed on his cheek.

"Just give me time."

Even without her quirk, Hina could see the weight behind his eyes; the worry, the fear that what he was doing already wasn't enough. No one could say he didn't care about his students, despite what impression his appearance left. She doubted anyone else blamed him for what happened other than himself. Perhaps the media, but what did they really know anyway?

"Ok." She said with a little nod, managing a tiny smile for his sake so he wouldn't think he'd upset her for wanting space. With a lift of her toes, she leaned in to place a chaste kiss against his lips, then pulled away. "You know how to reach me. I'm always here."

Sparing his one last glance, she took off the other direction and jumped to the adjacent rooftop, heading somewhere else to patrol for the night. Her feet beat fast steps against the building, and she didn't hear any sounds of pursuit behind her. Aizawa wasn't following. That was ok.

If time was what he needed, then that was fine. Her self-confidence issues hadn't been resolved in a day. So long as he allowed her to help, Hina would do what she could to encourage him to let go of all of the unnecessary guilt he was carrying with him. He'd done so much to help her. She was more than willing to return the favor.

* * *

A/N- You can't convince me that Aizawa wouldn't be feeling some fucking guilt for what happened at the training camp, especially after USJ. That man cares way too much. I wish the show had touched upon it a bit more than it did. I haven't read the manga, so maybe it wasn't glossed over, but I wanted to include something about it.

As always, don't forget to leave a review! I appreciate any and all feedback! :)


	22. Chapter 22

A/N- I'm a little annoyed right now because it took me three attempts to edit this chapter correctly. My computer kept fucking up the formatting and ruining all my work. Anyway. I hope this chapter turns out alright. My ability to objectively look at this chapter towards the end has been compromised due to my annoyance. Thanks.

**Rynxenvy-** He's an emotional boi, let's face it. But that's why we love him. I'm not sure if I'll be able to fit the traitor storyline in with the outline I currently have in place, but I may address it in a possible future one shot compilation? Wink wonk. We shall definitely see...

**RHatch89-** Thank so much!

**AnimeFan4Eternity-** Of course he does. He's a caring boi. Dadzawa for the win. And you know she will assist. Mama Hina can't stand one of her students being in danger. ;)

**RulerOfCats-** I'm glad you've enjoyed the story so far! Keeping it real and natural is a big priority for me. :)

Onwards!

* * *

Walking into the police station was, to its core, a surreal experience. Not that she'd never been in one before-obviously, she had in her line of work-but the atmosphere was so unlike anything Hina was used to, so far beyond the range of normal. The sheer number of people inside, coupled with the situation at hand was something else. Heavy-armored officers packed the room, and Hina tried not to shove or push anyone in a rude manner as she made her way to the center of the room, muttering her apologies as she went. Dotting the dark uniforms towards the front were brightly-colored suits and costumes. Heroes, several of them.

_Don't panic, you can do this. This is your job._

"Excuse me..." She muttered, stepping past another officer to stand close to the other heroes. With each step, it felt more and more like she had no right to be there. As if she were out of place.

_There sure are a lot of them here..._She wondered to herself, eyeing the distinctive bright costume of All Might, the wooden armor of Kamui Woods, Endeavor's flaming shoulders and beard, Gran Torino's small figure, and Edgeshot's spiked hairdo. The redhead couldn't recall the last time she'd seen so many in one place like this. Such esteemed and accomplished heroes...what had she done to earn her place among them?

_Aizawa wouldn't want you thinking like that! Get yourself together..._

Swallowing down the intimidation palpable in the space around her, she took a breath. The small noise it caused caught All Might's attention, who stood closest to her.

"Ah, Scarlet Seer! I hadn't anticipated your participation in Bakugou's rescue, but it's good to see you here." He said, trying to keep his voice low but not really able to given his vocal capability. All Might's muscled form had a very distinct, booming voice that he really couldn't keep at a low volume. She smiled in return.

"I...actually hadn't anticipated coming, to be honest. But something in me..." Her eyes glanced down at her hands. "...just wouldn't let me stay away. You know?"

It wasn't a lie. All afternoon after hearing of the police department's plan to raid the League of Villains' hideout, she'd reasoned with herself that this probably wasn't a mission well-suited for her quirk or combat type. A full frontal assault on the villain's hideout? Hina was more of a support hero, and the League had already established themselves as something not to be underestimated. Sending anything but their A-Team wouldn't be acceptable.

And yet, here she was. A washed-up pro who'd barely patrolled in the past five years. The anger at having Bakugou kidnapped from them was beyond her control, urging her to do something about the situation rather than just sit at home and home things went well. What good reason did she have for being here? That was her student, and she'd be damned if she was going to let him be kidnapped while under her tutelage. Her fist clenched tightly, trying desperately to steel her nerves. She'd come here for a reason.

All Might's pleasant surprise faded into an...understanding expression? His smile grew fonder, and one of his hands pressed onto her shoulder in a comforting way. "I understand. There are times when the heart leads us to action we simply can't ignore, no matter how logical it would seem otherwise."

Hina nodded, glad he could relate. Having that reassurance come from All Might of all people was more fortifying than anything else. So even as the reality of things began to sink in, she had a lifeline to hold onto. Further behind All Might, Endeavor caught her eye. He looked at her with confusion, as if the fact she was there didn't make sense to him, but then he turned away. Her eyes narrowed, and All Might went to look behind him at whatever had bothered her.

"Heroes, officers, we will now begin the mission brief." One of the detectives called out.

A relatively young man stood at the front of the room, arms crossed behind his back as he faced the room. His name badge said 'Tsukauchi.' Beside him was a small tv screen. She recognized more pro heroes; Best Jeanist and Gang Orca most prevalently. "The primary objective is to retrieve Katsuki Bakugou, a student of U.A. Academy, who has been kidnapped from a training camp by the League of Villains. Our secondary goal is the capture of all members of the League and, if possible, discover the whereabouts of the mastermind behind their schemes."

Endeavor let out an unamused 'hmph,' bulky and muscular arms crossed over his chest. "Why do I have to clean up after UA? I'm a busy man. This stemmed from their own ineptitude, it would only make sense for them to fix their mistake."

Hina's eye twitched and she clenched one fist, but otherwise didn't display her irk. Endeavor could be such a cold man, even to allies. His personality sometimes didn't fit his quirk. The man had a heart of ice.

_"Come on, don't be like that."_ Best Jeanist chastised from the tv screen, only his eyes visible from above his costume. Obviously, he didn't find the comment all that amusing. _"You went to UA too, didn't you?"_

Tsukauchi turned to Endeavor, remarkably calm despite the Number 2 Hero's annoyance. He could be unnerving when disgruntled, but the detective was unperturbed. "Right now, we cannot call any more heroes away from UA. It's possible that this incident will become the impetus for the destruction of hero society. We must give it our all to make sure we resolve this successfully. That is why we called so many outside heroes to assist with this operation."

Hina watched as Best Jeanist nodded from the screen. _"I'm sure some of us have other reasons for being here to assist. In the past, I invited Bakugo to my agency in order to reform his behavior. There are very few men as stubborn as he is. He is probably fighting back right now. We must act quickly."_

_"My comrade, Ragdoll, was also taken."_ Another voice spoke, and Tiger settled himself into frame of the tv. The cat-costumed man was visibly stern. _"I cannot overlook this at a personal level either." _

Hina felt for Tiger. Their teammate had disappeared with no other clue than a puddle of her blood. It was only logical to determine that she'd been taken along with the UA student. She didn't know what she'd do if Aizawa or Midnight were suddenly gone, no trace of their whereabouts whatsoever. Tiger was holding together remarkably well despite the circumstances.

Endeavor didn't have anything to say to the heroes' personal cases for being there, and simply shrugged to get the show on the road. The young detective nodded, satisfied that everyone was on board with assisting.

"Based on the tracking device set by one of the students, we believe that there are multiple hideouts." Tsukauchi went on to say, leaning down to address those at the other side of the screen. "From our investigations, we know where the kidnapped victim is located. We'll send the bulk of our forces there and prioritize getting the victim back. At the same time, we will gain control of the other location we believe is their hideout, cutting off all paths of retreat to arrest all of them at once."

Hina nodded to herself, impressed by the plan established. The law enforcement had certainly put a lot of work into making this as simple and smooth a plan as possible, knowing that the life of a young boy was on the line. All in all, she couldn't see a better way of handling the situation. This was their best plan of action.

"Correct timing is imperative. A swift, coordinated strike on both locations is vital to success. Please, keep in contact with me at all times. I'm counting on all of you to bring him home safely and dismantle the League of Villains in one fell swoop. Thank you."

The heroes and officers alike nodded and muttered their understanding. Tsukauchi turned back to the tv to address the others, and Hina thought over everything so far. She assumed her team would be sent to Bakugou's location, as All Might and Endeavor were their main heavy hitters. Their strength would be necessary to keep Bakugou safe.

Beside her, Gran Torino got All Might's attention with a whisper, who turned to him expectantly. She ignored it for the most part, but because of All Might's inability to whisper with that voice of his, she couldn't help but overhear a bit of their conversation.

"With such big developments, he will definitely make a move."

"All For One." Gran Torino nodded sagely, looking quite tired at the very mention of his name.

_All For One?_ Hina wondered who they were speaking of, as she'd never heard the name before, but Tsukauchi began speaking again and her attention was drawn away. After a final briefing and confirmation of the plan, it was time to put it into action.

* * *

Backed by dozens of ready police officers, they walked the dark streets towards Bakugou's known location. Like soldiers off to war, she thought. Maybe she was just being dramatic.

To the other heroes, perhaps this was simply an average Friday. But for the redhead, who'd never participated in an operation of this scale and importance before, it was nerve-wracking. Hina's heart pounded in her chest, and she was worried that those beside her could hear it. As it happened, she was right next to Endeavor on the sidewalk, officers to her right and behind her. She tried to keep her eyes forward, so as not to draw attention from the taller and bulkier man-

"Oi." He said out of the blue, and she closed her eyes for a moment before turning to him. As usual when he looked at her, he was frowning. "Why are you here?"

Rather than respond, she simply matched his frown, wondering what his problem with her presence there was. He was one to talk, considering he'd been complaining about needing to 'clean up UA's mess' just ten minutes earlier. Did the guy not realize how hypocritical he sounded?

"This team is for the main assault, an operation not suited to your quirk or combat ability. Perhaps it would have been better to stay back at the station or attend the public statement with your coworkers." And with that helpful bit of advice and or suggestion, he simply faced forward and kept walking as if their little exchange had never occurred to begin with.

What, was he expecting her to just turn around and walk away at his 'words of wisdom?' She couldn't deny that from an objective view, he had a point. She'd been telling herself the same damn things hours before. It was also true that the old Hina would have taken his words to heart and gotten out of the way of the action so the professionals could do their work, intimidated by his superior strength and experience. But if she were to walk away now, Hina knew she'd regret it from the deepest part of her soul.

"While I might not be as _esteemed_ as someone like you, Endeavor," she said with surprising calm, eyes narrowing when he glanced at her response, "I still hold the title of pro hero. Which means it's my responsibility to help those in need. I admit, I've needed reminding of that recently, but now that someone's knocked some sense into me I'm not going to let you or anyone else negate me from doing my damn job. So, no. I'm right where I should be."

"..." Endeavor just stared at her, obviously not happy that he was being talked back to. Hina still took it as a win when he said nothing more, looking ahead again for the battle to come.

Simmering in her own annoyance, she used the feeling to prepare herself for what they'd soon face. The officers around her held similarly steely expressions, focusing on what they had to do.

_Like soldiers off to war..._

* * *

"We're just going to...knock on the door?" She whispered in confusion and some worry.

Edgeshot nodded, leading Hina and a squad of policemen towards the entrance to the bar they'd tracked Bakugou to. "We provide the first moment of distraction, of uncertainty. After which All Might will launch the initial surprise attack." His soft said explained.

Hina nodded, going with the plan. She wasn't sure how she fit into all of this, but she'd play whatever part was required of her. Her gut told her that they were simply the back-up if things went south after All Might showed up. Out of the way while he could do his work. Tugging her boots up a little more, more of a nervous twitch than anything, she straightened up and released a slow breath. This was it.

The wooden door marked with the bar's name came into view, and Edgeshot held up a hand. They slowed their movement, creeping the last few feet as silently as possible. He took up a position just outside the door, bringing his head closer to listen. They could hear talking on the inside, of several people, both male and female.

_"I was hoping we could have come to an understanding." _

_"Come to an understanding? No way."_

They both heard in a young male's voice. Hina would recognize the aggression and arrogance in that tone anywhere. Bakugou. The two heroes caught each other's eyes, nodding in confirmation that they had the right place. The officer's with them shifted in place, uneasy now that they were right outside the room of their intended target.

Hina's eyes glowed a soft blue, turning to her hero companion. _"I'll be able to read your mind this way so we don't have to speak aloud. Have you gotten the signal yet?"_ She projected, and Edgeshot's eyes widened for a moment at hearing her voice in his head, before shaking it. He pulled up a small paging device, which was turned completely silent. The screen was dark, blank.

**_"Not yet. They may still be getting into position outside."_** He raised his head, thinking rapidly. **_"Can you use your telepathy to mask us as we enter the room? Retaining the element of surprise for as long as possible would be advantageous."_**

Her head shook, looking down. _"I need to be able to see them to use my quirk, and by that time, they'll know we're inside."_

**_"Can't be helped, then. No matter. Our plan as it is now is solid."_** He decided easily, looking down at the small screen as it lit up with one word: _"Ready." _

They met eyes again, and nodded. Edgeshot turned to the police, silently telling them to prepare. Then, his hand lifted and knocked against the door several times. The voices inside quieted, and air felt still.

"Hello, this is Pizza-La, Camino store." Edgeshot called out clearly. How he could make himself sound so relaxed was beyond her.

Hina made a face and turned to him. _"Really? A pizza delivery?"_

**_"It will be enough."_** He responded confidently, staring at the door expectantly. **_"All we do now is-"_ **

From the other side of the door, a loud crash sounded out. Over the sounds of destruction, brick and mortar exploding outwards of their place in the building, they could both hear All Might's resounding bellow. _"Smash!"_

The room burst into chaotic energy, the villains inside panicking and scrambling to devise a retreat. Most likely from the warping quirk user inside. Following All Might's roar was the sound of Kamui Woods and Gran Torino rushing in behind the assumptive hole the number one hero had created in the wall. So far so good. Just from the sound of things, everything was going according to plan. Hina readied her fists, watching as Edgeshot's body began to disappear into a fine, red-colored ribbon in midair.

"I will slip in and see the situation. Hold here until we can ensure the villains are captured." He instructed.

"I-" She bit her tongue and nodded. Now was no time to argue. "Yes, ok."

He slipped through the doorway, leaving her with the squad of officers behind the doorway. She looked down the way they'd come, playing with the thought that they'd somehow be ambushed when they least expected it. It was difficult to hear anyone talking, as the voices were frantic and overlapped by sounds of struggling and conflict inside. After a moment, the door they stood in front of opened, revealing the damage inside the small bar. All Might's entrance was, indeed, a crude circular-shaped hole in the wall. Kamui Woods dangled from just outside of it, restraining the villains with his wood quirk. The branches had wrapped themselves around the villains' bodies, keeping them in place.

Gran Torino stood to the side, watching the villains expectantly, anticipating them to fight back and try to escape the confines of their wooden bonds. For all intents and purposes, they were contained.

Hina walked inside, seeing Bakugou standing just behind All Might. Worry creasing her face, she hurried over to him and crouched, taking a hold of both of his shoulders and inspecting him head to toe. "Bakugou, are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, nothing I can't handle." He snarled, scowling at her despite not pulling away from her grasp.

The others talked to the villains, about what she truly didn't care at the moment. Bakugou was their top priority, that had been the brief. He may be out of the villain's clutches, but that didn't mean he was completely ok yet. Her eyes glowed a faint blue, and she searched Bakugou's mind for any signs of trauma. Even if he wasn't physically harmed, there was no telling what the League would stoop to doing in order to try corrupting the boy.

"What are you-"

"This is for my peace of mind, I'm nearly done." She told him sternly, and he shut up after that, realizing that Hina wouldn't let up no matter how much he argued about it.

Nothing in his head was worrisome, at least from what she could see. His recent memories were just of talking to the villains. And despite his claim that he was fine, she could feel the residual panic and slight fear begin to seep from his head. He'd been scared, but too proud to admit to it. That was fine. All she needed to know was that he was safe.

"I'm sure you were scared. You did a good job bearing it." All Might said, and Bakugou tore his attention away from Hina. Satisfied that he wasn't mentally or emotionally ruined by his experience here, she stood and turned to look at the blonde hero too. "It's fine now, young man."

"I wasn't scared!" The young boy cried out. "Not even close, damn it!"

Hina couldn't help but smile, relieved to see him as his normal self. She let her quirk drop, satisfied that he wasn't emotionally scarred in any way.

"After I went through all that trouble to prepare this..." The hand-faced villain muttered, drawing the room's attention. "Why are you coming to me, you last boss?"

The redhead's spine shivered at the sound of his voice. It was soft but somehow still grated on her ears. Like velvet sandpaper, if there was such a thing. She'd seen his picture from his file that the school kept after his initial attack on USJ, but seeing the young man in person was something else. The creepy hand covering his face didn't do anything to ease her nerves either.

This kid was seriously creepy. She wondered what she'd find if she went through his head. Surely some trauma or psychological issue somewhere in his past. She didn't relish the thought of doing so at all.

"We're not the only ones here, you say? The same goes for us." Shigaraki said, raising his head up in a cocky fashion. "Kurogiri, bring as many as you can over!"

Hina stiffened, placing Bakugou behind her to protect him at the villain's shouted command. All Might clenched his fists and the others took a fighting stance, ready to attack anything that came, but the air remained still, a thick silence descending over those inside. After several seconds of nothing, Shigaraki turned to his companion in confusion.

"What's the matter, Kurogiri?" His tone was desperate, but still retained that hard edge of anger.

"I'm sorry, Tomura..." The warp-user said in concern. "The Nomus that were supposed to be in a fixed location...are not there!"

"Huh?" The young villain's hands dropped in bewilderment, as if unable to process what his companion had just said.

_So that was their back up plan?_ Hina thought to herself. Warping in Nomus to keep them occupied while they could warp away. Smart, but thankfully it seems that the police's investigation was paying off in dividends. That secondary location hit had just saved them a lot of trouble and putting Bakugou in more danger.

"You underestimated everything, villains." All Might said, placing his hand on Bakugou's shoulder and showing his ever-present smile to their captives. The soul of a young man, the diligent investigation of the police...and our anger!"

Hina found it within herself to smile, happy that the operation had gone smoothly. All Might couldn't have put it better, and she'd be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the look of utter defeat on the League of Villains' faces. Shigaraki's included, though all she could currently see was his eyes wide with anger or shock at having been bested.

"Enough with the childish pranks. This is the end." The number one hero finished resolutely.

He'd touched a nerve and, still bound, Shigaraki rose from his kneeling position on the floor. "This is the end, you say? Don't be ridiculous...I've only just begun. Kurogiri-" He turned, but Edgeshot's red string was already shooting into the warp-user's body, causing him to slump within his restraints.

The foldibody hero's head appeared floating in midair, looking to the man he'd just incapacitated. "This one was always annoying. I'll have him sleep." He quietly announced, calm as always.

"Didn't I say it's be better to stay put?" Gran Torino chided, addressing Shigaraki. "There's nowhere left for you villains to run."

The hand-faced villain sat there unmoving, perhaps coming face to face with his own defeat. Hina wasn't sure, but they'd all been effectively captured, with no method of escape left to them, now that Kurogiri was knocked unconscious.

The telepath turned back to Bakugou, and smiled gently. "Let's get you out of here, yeah?"

"Scarlet Seer, before you go," Gran Torino interrupted, regarding her with that old man's expression he had nowadays, "if you wouldn't mind lending us your mind-reading abilities."

"What for?"

"We must discover where Shigaraki's boss is hidden, so we can wipe out the League and it's mastermind all at once. Is that something you could find out from him?" The older hero questioned, gaze turning on the young villain at hand. He shook with anger at the very mention.

"I can certainly try." She said, uneasily glancing at the captured youth. Leaving Bakugou to stand beside All Might, she approached Shigaraki. "Please ask him questions while I search. It will more easily bring those memories to his mind." Gran Torino nodded. "So, Shigaraki, mind telling us where you boss is?"

That was the last thing she heard before delving into Shigaraki's consciousness. Strangely enough, when she entered the center of his mind, the room was an exact replica of the bar they were both currently standing in. Atop the bar, was a pale blue-nearly white-glowing orb. Shigaraki stood in the middle of the room, staring at her with hate.

"You're a telepath..." He muttered harshly, and she winced at the sound. "What a useful and annoying quirk."

"It will not hurt if you don't resist." She advised softly, reaching over to touch the pale, glowing orb of his mind.

The moment her fingers touched it's smooth surface, her head was filled with dark images. Him as a young boy, a hand reaching out to him, and a fatherly voice. _'Everything will be alright now.'_

Memories from the past, but not what she was looking for. A traveler in the moving picture show that was his mind, she continued. Hina filtered through the images, trying to find anything that could help them. _'It must've been hard.'_ Hina winced, feeling the building emotion the further in she went. This rising hatred. Red and hot and bubbling to suffocate her. She kept going, pushing past the influence it was beginning to have on her own mind. She felt her hands shaking with a growing rage. How dare he take her student?

More memories, _'Fail as many times as you need to,'_ hands and hands and hands. From every crevice of his consciousness, there seemed to be hands. Reaching out to grab her and pull her under and..._'All Might.'_

His rising hatred had grown to an unimaginable degree. She clenched her jaw, trying to push forward, to find what they were looking for, but it reached a breaking point where she knew she would intentionally harm him in order to succeed. Enough of her sense was still present that she recognized this as a bad decision.

Hina disengaged her quirk, and she blinked rapidly as she was brought back to the ruined bar.

"I couldn't...find anything..." She panted out, somewhat surprised by the need to catch her breath like this. With such intense emotions, it took a lot out of her. "His mind is clouded by hatred...I can't go any further without hurting him or myself."

"Shigaraki!" All Might yelled, pressing him for an answer, and the bubble that Hina had felt within the young villain exploded all at once.

"I hate you!" He cried with vehemence, eyes wide behind the hand covering the majority of his face.

Two inky portals of sludge burst into existence on either side of Shigaraki, and everyone startled at the sight. Within the center of the pools of darkness, morphing and pushing and pulling in all directions, the faces of the terrifying Nomu creatures began to emerge.

"Nomu!? They came from nowhere!" Kamui exclaimed, confused and terrified that things had suddenly taken a turn. They were losing control.

"Edgeshot, what about Kurogiri?" Gran Torino turned to the ninja hero.

"He's still unconscious! He didn't do this." He replied, and Hina grabbed on to Bakugou as more and more portals began appearing around the room. None of them knew what was going on, but she knew they needed to keep him safe.

"Stay close to me." She instructed her student, grabbing his arm with a tight grip. Normally one to bicker and argue about everything, for once he stayed quiet, doing as he was told to. For that she was thankful. At least he understood this was serious.

"Kamui Woods! Do not let them go under any circumstance!" All Might told the newer hero, and the wood-user nodded his understanding, tightening the wooden bonds around the villains. So long as they didn't let them slip away-

"Hurrgh!" Hina heard beside her. She swung around and, to her horror, the young boy was regurgitating the same inky black liquid from the portals. His eyes were wide, trying to figure out a way to stop the fluid from coming out.

"Bakugou!" She cried, holding onto him with no idea of how to stop what was happening to him. He flailed in the mass of liquid and it slowly consumed him, despite her best effort to grab onto his limbs. That helpless feeling came back to her in full swing. Unable to help. Unable to save. The room had descended into chaos in a matter of seconds, with no one quite sure what to do. Beside her, All Might cried out his rage.

Her shame was overtaken by a sensation she'd never experienced before. Suddenly unable to breathe and unable to speak, a disgusting-tasting warm liquid emerged from her own mouth, and she tried covering it to stop the endless flow. Large hands grabbed at her arms, and she looked up in time to see All Might frantically holding her in place, as if that would stop whatever this was. He was talking to her, she could see his mouth moving, but her own panic prevented any sort of recognition as to what the words were. She wasn't sure what sort of expression her own face showed, but surely it was one of terror, as she felt her body dissolving away into the growing black pool of liquid that consumed her.

All sense of sight was blocked off, sounds muffled until they finally faded away entirely, and she still couldn't breathe. The black liquid pools were all she could feel, until she could feel nothing at all.

_This is it. This is the end._ She thought to herself, completely losing awareness after that.

* * *

The first thing she was aware of was collapsing onto a hard surface. Her arms scrambled at her face, trying to breathe, and finally the black liquid dissipated to allow oxygen into her body. Hina gasped out several breaths, but ended up in a coughing fit when some of the liquid left over was still in her lungs. It was horrid, sludge-like and foul tasting.

Doubled over on the ground to expel the disgusting fluid from her body, Hina tried gathering her scattered thoughts and allowed time for her senses to return. She could hear others coughing, and managed to crack open her eyes and look at her surroundings.

A ruined building, debris surrounding the ground she was kneeling on. Members of the League of Villains were recovering from whatever transportation quirk they'd just experienced. Among them was Bakugou, standing near a man with a black mask, a tailored suit as his outfit.

"You failed again, huh Tomura?" He spoke, and her eyes widened, recognizing that voice from Shigaraki's mind. "But do not be discouraged. Just try again."

His Master. The one behind the League, supporting them from the shadows. Right here in front of her, and he had Bakugou. She shakily stood, trying to figure out how to get him away from these villains without getting them both killed.

It was then that she realized her and Bakugou were the only two transported away, no other heroes had come with. She wondered why that was. He could have simply taken Bakugou, without the hinderance of dealing with her here. None of them had acknowledged her presence as of yet. Perhaps she could slip by and grab-

"Huh? Why is she here?" Toga, the blood-user, questioned, spotting her off to the side. "Was she following us?"

"So nice of you to join us!" The masked man she knew to be Twice cooed, then followed up with an angry frown behind the costume. "Don't come any closer!"

"I brought her here." All For One stated simply, and Hina let out a shaky breath.

"Why? What is it you want with me?" Her voice came out with less confident than she would have liked, but the fear inside of her heart was betraying her. She kept glancing at Bakugou, making sure they didn't make a move for him.

"I'm a collector of quirks." He said smoothly, and her spine shivered yet again. "I admit, I can't help myself when I come across a particularly valuable or rare quirk, and yours is exceptional in both cases. I'm sure I could find a use for it to help Tomura further his goals."

His was so different from Shigaraki's voice, charming and deep, but it still sent alarm bells ringing through her head. He was dangerous, and very powerful. That much she could tell.

Hina didn't know how to respond, and simply watched him, trying with all of her might not to gag from the fluid still in her system. It stunk so badly, but she couldn't take her eyes off of the predatory mastermind before her.

He stepped forward. She stepped back. Her chest was in physical pain from the fear of what he could do to her. Another step her way, and then...he stopped, looking up towards the sky curiously.

"You're here after all, aren't you?" All For One mused aloud.

Hina frowned, but dropped to a crouch when a burst of energy where the masked man stood erupted. The ground beneath his feet cracked and shattered, and large gusts of wind sent dust and small debris flying in all directions. The force behind it sent her sliding several feet back, her boots digging into the dirt. Using a hand to block the wind from her eyes, she tried seeing what was causing this unbelievable power, and stumbled a bit when she recognized All Might's costume colors.

If he knew where they were located, this must be the secondary hideout Tsukauchi had sent Best Jeanist's team to. Her heart sank, realizing that if this man was here, with no sign of her companions, then the worst must have come to pass.

All Might jumped away from the masked man, who she now knew to be All For One, hearing him taunt the number one hero mockingly. "You've gotten weaker, All Might." The villain said, shaking his hands after such an impact. He didn't look affected in the slightest...

All Might was crouched, the signature smile wiped from his face, which was in a way more shocking and upsetting than anything up to this point. "What about you? What's with that industrial mask you've got on? Aren't you overexerting yourself?"

They spoke to each other as if they knew one another, and Hina guessed they had some sort of history. Perhaps a rival or nemesis. His next words confirmed with for her.

He rose, readying himself for another attack. "I won't make the same mistake as I did six years ago, All For One! I will take Young Bakugou back. This time I'll throw you in prison for sure. And all of the League of Villains you control with you!"

All Might launched himself at the masked man, almost faster than she could see. Hina anticipated the usual crater to appear below the villain's feet at the very force of his punch, but instead, the hero was being blasted backwards almost as fast as he'd attacked. His muscled form went straight through the nearest building, causing it critical structural damage. Behind that, she could see the destruction of several more buildings as he continued to plow through them, collapsing building after building until he stopped out of sight.

Hina's breath still in her throat, watching the utter destruction of this magnitude at such proximity. The ground rumbled as each structure collapsed. Even from this distance, she could smell the concrete and steel as it crumbed in on themselves, sending clouds of dust and smoke into the air in massive plumes. Glass broke and shattered, raining down on the sidewalks. Their evacuation radius for both locations hadn't extended that far, meaning there were sure to be many, many victims...

Trumping even that was the terror gripping her heart. She had no right being out here. The power level between her and these two was immense, far beyond her reach or capability. Her limbs shook, and she fell to her knees at the display of sheer power. Dust and smoke filled the air, and in the darkness it all looked like a ravaged war zone. She hadn't been prepared to handle all of this. What had started as a simple rescue mission had turned into a nightmare Hina didn't have the imagination to conjure up herself.

_Bakugou...where is he!?_ She thought to herself in a moment of clarity, peering around now that the wind had stopped and most of the immediate area was now visible. The redhead spotted him keeping low to the ground dozens of feet away. The League were scattered about the area, and those still conscious were scrambling to their feet. They looked momentarily distracted by All Might's appearance to the battle, so she took the opportunity while she could to move.

She ran to the young boy and dropped into a crouch. At first he flinched away, but then recognized who she was. "They're distracted. Now's our chance to escape. Can you walk?"

"A-ah..." He acknowledged, stunned and dazed and missing his usual arrogant demeanor. He stood, and with guidance from her hand, she ushered them towards an opening in the wall behind All Might that they could slip away quietly. Staying as far away from All For One as possible, that was the goal. While he was busy-

"Agghh!" She was stopped in place by a fiery pain in her side, her grip on Bakugou slipping from the shock. She looked down, a long and thin protrusion from off in the distance piercing her side. The spot grew warm and she watched as a circle of red began seeping from inside her costume. She looked up, following the path of the spindle to All For One's own hand. He'd stabbed her with some sort of quirk, even from this distance.

"Hitagawa Sensei!" Bakugou cried from beside her, stopping in place.

"Take everyone away from here, Tomura, and bring that child and hero with you." All For One's voice instructed, and the bone-like spindle retracted from her body. A gasp left her mouth at the pain.

She wobbled in place, falling to one knee, a hand covering her wound to try to stop the bleeding. Now that the weapon was free, the blood began seeping at a much more rapid pace. There was a great risk of losing too much blood if left unchecked. "Fuck..." She muttered, gritting her teeth.

"Hitagawa Sensei..." Bakugou said again, hands raised to do something but unsure of how to proceed. She met his gaze, trying her best to keep the panic from showing through. She didn't need them both losing their cool, and she was supposed to be the adult between them.

"It's...it's fine..." Was her gruff reply, reaching to her sleeve and yanking as hard as she could. The material ripped at the shoulder, tearing the fabric clean off. Using it as a temporary bandage, she wrapped it around her torso as tight as she could manage it, then tied it off at the end. At least now she wouldn't bleed out in the immediate future.

Sucking up the pain, she stood again and grabbed onto Bakugou shirt, pulling him with her towards the street so they could escape. "Come on, we can't stop here."

They both heard the sound of more buildings collapsing further on, and All Might's figure hurtling back towards the fight. He connected fists with All For One, and another blast of force rushed around them, kicking up the dust. It nearly sent Hina tumbling, but Bakugou managed to keep her upright.

The dust cleared and the two stopped, seeing the League of Villains surrounding them a distance away. 6 in total, since two were down for the count. The remaining members all looked ready for a fight, no doubt unsatisfied with being captured the moment the heroes arrived earlier. Scarlet Seer placed herself in front of Bakugou, an arm extended to the side in a protective stance.

"Where do you think _you're_ going?" Toga asked, a sadistic smile plastered on her face. She settled her blood mask in place, the needle weapon held loosely in her hand. The others all readied themselves, eyeing her warily, sizing them up as a challenge.

"Hey Bakugou," Scarlet Seer said softly, keeping her eyes fixed to their opponents, "do me a favor and help me take these guys on? I wanted to get you out of here without putting you in more danger, but it seems I don't have a choice now. We have to fight."

"Heh." Bakugou smirked, knuckles cracking in preparation. "Finally something we can agree upon, teach."

"Don't get carried away. This isn't ideal." Scarlet Seer instructed, brow furrowing as she tried to formulate a plan out of there. They were too spread out to be affected by her quirk all at once. She'd have to choose her target and attack, while also avoiding being hit by the others. At the same time, she'd have to focus on defending Bakugou. No small feat, considering his mobility in combat.

_Take the initiative. Utilize teamwork._ Aizawa's voice bounced around in her head, and she narrowed her eyes. Yes, that's definitely something he'd say. Eyes flashing blue, she prepared herself as they came at them from all sides.

_"I'll temporarily incapacitate a target, and you provide the main offense. With my injury, I'm not as fast as I should be."_ She projected to him, then dodged out of the way of Toga's sharp knife aimed at her throat. _"She will be the first target!" _

Gaze switching from Bakugou to Toga, Scarlet Seer robbed her of vision, and the blood-user cried out in surprise.

"Hey! I can't see!" She swiped blindly with her knife, trying to make contact with an opponent, but only hitting air. Bakugou came up from behind and blasted her with his quirk, sending her tumbling to the ground. "Ugh!"

Scarlet Seer would have celebrated their first successful takedown, but she was busy jumping out of the way of Mr. Compress, who ran at her with both arms extended. Rushing past him and sending him crashing to the ground from her sweeping kick, though wincing when it jostled her side, she kept an eye on Bakugou as he sent himself in the air to avoid all attacks at harming him.

He landed beside her, but they both separated to avoid Twice's measuring tape projectile. She flashed her quirk, blinding him as well.

"Ahh! I'm splitting! Splitting!" He cried, falling to his knees and clutching his head. Bakugou tried going in for the attack, but the others were upon them even faster, forcing them onto the defensive.

Scarlet Seer bared her teeth, dodging and kicking and getting a hit in wherever she could, but for most of the time, they were simply forced to avoid anything sent their way. It was clear that they were losing ground.

Her quirk wasn't of much use with them outnumbered as they were, but it provided just enough distraction and interference to keep them from getting to Bakugou. He had yet to be hit, and was delivering some nice counters back at them in some cases. For the most part they were both tiring out quickly. Scarlet Seer especially, with her bleeding as she was.

In the distance, she caught All Might trying to come their way to assist, but All For One was preventing him from doing so. Now that she thought about it, the destruction from before had lessened by a large degree, almost as if they were both holding back their full power. Neither were fighting seriously, both caught up in trying to prevent the other from getting to Scarlet and the others.

_We're in the way._ She figured out, knowing that All Might would avoid civilian casualties whenever possible, but that All For One probably had no qualms about it. And that meant her and Bakugou, in this scenario. They were hindering his ability to fight.

_"We can't keep this up."_ She projected to her student, sliding out of the way of another of Toga's attacks. The knife gleamed with each blast of Bakugou's quirk.

Panting, he came to a stop beside her, nodding his understanding.**_ "All Might can't fight when he's worrying about us. We're just a burden to him."_ **

She didn't entirely agree with the way he phrased it, but he got the gist. _"We need to try to make an opening you can escape through."_

**_"What about you?"_** He turned to her in surprise, but was forced to look away as they were both attacked by Twice's tape.

Scarlet Seer pierced him with a stern stare. _"Rescuing you is the primary objective, Bakugou. Everything else comes second. Do you understand?"_

He scowled, both of them jumping away to avoid another of Mr. Compress's attempts at touching them, and he fired off another few blasts from his palms to push the villains back a bit. **_"Fine!"_ **

Scarlet Seer could feel herself slowing down, her breaths coming out in harsh pants. Her injury was hindering her movements, and the pain was growing with each step. The League still had them surrounded, attacking from all angles, and thanks to having each other's back, they had been able to avoid most of the attempts at attack.

_How am I supposed to get him out of here? Think, Hina, think!_ Their surroundings were nothing but rubble at this point, ground into fine dust and small chunks of debris from all the force of All Might's and All For One's attacks. Nothing she saw as a way out. Nothing at all...damn it!

Seeing Shigaraki coming up from behind Bakugou, hand outstretched, Scarlet Seer ran forwards, dragging him by his collar out of the way of his reach. They toppled to the ground, and she flashed her quirk, making it seem as though they'd both gone a different direction. Convinced, the hand-faced villain ran after them. It bought them only a moment of time, because the others were on them-

_Crash!_ A wall nearby to them exploded outwards. It drew everyone's attention, confusion mounting as someone else apparently entered the zone of combat without any warning. Hina felt her heart drop, recognizing her own students. More of them? Why were they here? What were they doing? It was way too dangerous to be here! Before she could tell them to get away, a huge iceberg rose up to a point in the sky, and the students propelled themselves on it, sending them shooting up into the sky overhead.

_"What on earth are you doing here!?"_ She projected to Midoriya who she could see most clearly at this distance.

_**"Tell Kacchan to launch himself! We're getting him out of here!"**_ He responded back, and she followed the assumed path they would take. Yes, they would completely clear the battle zone, right over everyone's heads...

Scarlet Seer whipped around and picked Bakugou up off the ground. "Go to them!" She yelled, pointing up at his classmates. "They'll get you out of here!"

He scowled, recognizing the ones who had showed up to rescue him. She hoped his stubbornness wouldn't prevent him from leaving. He loved a good fight, and there was always the possibility that he would reject their offer of help.

Scarlet bared her teeth, gripping him by the front of his shirt. "Don't be stupid!"

"Bakugou!" They both heard from above, and Kirishima had his hand outstretched to his friend down below. "Come!"

The blonde boy watched him for a moment, before turning to his teacher with a thoughtful expression. He was difficult to read, but the next moment he had released a large blast at his feet, sending him rocketing into the air and towards the other students. She stumbled a few steps back, feeling the heat from his blast on her skin.

_Yes, get out of here._ She encouraged, watching with bated breath as they grew nearer each other. A smile broke out on her face as their hands connected, and Bakugou was sent out of the zone to safety._ Please, take care of him now, Midoriya._

The villains attempted to stop the students from escaping, but the unexpected arrival of Mt. Lady put a quick stop to that. Things had suddenly swung back into the heroes' favor. With Bakugou out of the picture and the villains losing their leverage, they were now on the defensive.

Scarlet Seer pushed herself past the pain in her side, using the villain's desperation and disorganization to escape a good distance away so that All Might could go all out. There was nothing more she could do to help at this point, as the League began retreating through the portal further away and All For One was solely focused on his nemesis, likely forgetting all about the small-time hero with the interesting quirk.

She spotted Gran Torino watching from behind a small hill of debris. Smiling at recognizing an ally, she stumbled and lost consciousness before reaching him, her body hitting the ground with a heavy thump. Her body felt very cold.

* * *

A/N- I'm desperate for reviews. Like seriously. Any feedback from you is super appreciated. Critiques of any kind are especially welcome! Now excuse me while I drink some strong alcohol after 2 hours of pointless editing before finally managing to post this chapter...


	23. Chapter 23

A/N- I'm pretty fond of this chapter, you guys. And I'm super super tired because work was stressful today. So let me know how it actually turned out. I'm unfortunately making it a habit where I just can't seem to gauge a chapter by the time I finish it anymore. Oh well. The reviews will let me know if I fucked something up, lol.

**Rynxenvy-** Drink of choice? I'm a Mai Tai gal myself, or Pina Colada. But if we're talking straight alcohol, then definitely Disaronno. That shit is so smooth and tastes fucking amazing mixed with Coke.

**From. ' -** I'm glad to hear it! And thank you for the review!

**AnimeFan4Eternity-** I'm glad to hear my suffering wasn't in vain, lol. I didn't want to keep Hina on the sidelines not helping with the main events of the story, but I also didn't want her doing everything herself and just being a super OP badass, so I hope this satisfied that happy medium. And don't worry. Aizawa is definitely worried about her. He'll take good care of his girl.

Onwards!

* * *

Something hurt like a _bitch._

Hina winced, opening her eyes to a hustle and bustle of people working nearby. She could hear footsteps and quiet voices. And crying. A woman, by the sound of it. And above that, a man pleading, the words insistent but too far away to pick out anything distinct.

Blinking away the fog of confusion, she looked around still partially dazed from sleep. White sheets hung up around her like a blockade, and she was laying on a medical bed. It wasn't comfortable at all, and she tried raising herself to sit. Another sharp pain went through her body, and she stopped entirely, dropping back down against the pillow.

Raising just her head, she looked down at her chest. The remains of her hero costume looked pitiful. Her left sleeve was entirely gone-oh right, she'd ripped it off to use as a temporary bandage-and a large section was missing from her torso. It looked like someone had just ripped it straight across. Her costumer still covered the most important parts, but the open space where her torso was exposed in a thick, white bandage.

It took a few moment to bring herself up to speed, sifting through her recent memories. Hina remembered seeing Bakugou get to safety, and watching the League retreat through the portal, and then...well, she must have blacked out after that. Someone must have brought her to a first aid station or hospital.

_How long have I been out?_

With no sense of time and no one in sight to ask, it gave her greater motivation to be up and on her feet. If her wound was still causing her this much grief, then it likely hadn't been very long since the battle and-

Had they even won? Her chest ached, this time not from her physical wound. There was no telling what had happened after she'd lost consciousness, and All Might had still been facing All For One with difficulty last she'd known. She had every reason to believe he'd been victorious, but...seeing the devastation that man could cause had her second guessing.

Using her hands for leverage, she forced herself into a sitting position, hearing movement behind the white sheets surrounding her bed. A pained grunt escaped her, teeth grit to take the pain without cursing.

The sound must have caught someone's attention, because a moment later, one section of the sheet was pushed away to reveal a nurse in medical garb.

"Scarlet Seer, right?" She inquired, then gestured for her to stop. "Please don't move. I was just about to come around to do more healing."

Hina frowned, but did as she instructed. The nurse turned to a little cart that she'd brought with her, wheeling it inside the makeshift 'room' of sheets and closing the cloth behind her, and then reached to the bandages covering her torso. "This might pull a little. Tell me if it becomes too much."

"Did All Might defeat All For One?" The redhead muttered, caught on that detail more than anything else. She winced, feeling the first few layers of bandage begin to unravel.

She smiled. "Yes, that villain was put in custody and sent to Tartarus already. I don't think he'll ever see the light of day again. We're lucky All Might was there to protect us. I'll admit though, I never would have expected him to look as frail as he does."

Hina tensed. The only logical conclusion was that All Might's true form had been revealed. She doubted it was by his choice, and she hoped he was alright, wherever he was. The nurse didn't seem to notice the hero's change in demeanor, probably chalking it up to pain from taking the bandage off.

"Makes you wonder how he's protected us all this time in that condition. He really is incredible." She went on. Her fingers were gentle as they pulled on the remaining bandages, revealing Hina's wound.

It was a bit smaller than she thought it had been, and she had to resist the urge to reach down and feel it. She frowned, watching as the nurse placed her hand around the hole in her chest, and the tips of her fingers began to glow green. A strange, numbing sensation began on her body, and she shifted in place a little, unused to the feeling. As it began to bleed, she dabbed at it with a cloth.

The nurse saw Hina's attention directed at her hand and smiled again. "I have a repair-type quirk. It lets me bring anything back to the form it's supposed to be, but I'm not that proficient with it. It can take a bit of time to complete."

"Are you not a nurse?" Hina asked, surprised at the woman's admission, and she shook her head.

"No. The hospitals reached out to the general public for anyone who could assist with treating the wounded, and I volunteered. There are so many injured, so many more deceased..." The woman shook her head sadly. "When I first started helping, there were so many stretchers covered with white sheets brought away. I've never seen so much death before."

"What day is it? What time?" The redhead pressed, needing something to ground her back to the present. She was antsy, both from the nurse's quirk and her inactivity here in this aid station.

"It's Saturday, about...1:30." The nurse checked the clock behind Hina.

It hadn't even been a day. She hadn't been out for too long, apparently. "Are rescue efforts still going on?" Bearing the strange sensation of her body's tissues apparently being repaired at a rapid pace. It was a mix of pleasantly numb and uncomfortably void of sensation.

"I'm sure they are. Maybe a few more days, or even longer. The entire Kamino Ward was basically destroyed."

"I need to get back out there." She said, trying to stand from the bed, but the nurse pushed back by her shoulder, keeping her in place.

"Wait, you're not fully healed yet!" She removed her green-glowing hand and inspected the wound. "It'll take another several sessions before it'll close completely. I tire very quickly with it, and can only use it so many times a day without passing out."

"Then get someone else to heal me right now."

The nurse winced. "We don't have enough healers at the moment. I'm responsible for 12 other people alone, so I have to section off my quirk little by little."

"Look, I can't just sit here while there are people out there in the wreckage." She replied bitterly. "Just bandage it up and I'll be responsible if it gets worse. You'll have one less person to worry about."

"I...I don't think..." The woman fretted, eyes glancing down at her wound and at the roll of bandages on her cart. Obviously, she hadn't been trained for patients that refused care.

"I'm a hero, and if this little wound is the only thing keeping me from doing my job, just give me the strongest painkiller you've got on that cart and wrap me back up." Hina said, meeting her eyes, trying to emulate Aizawa's unyielding expression. The nurse swallowed, and finally nodded, grabbing the sanitized bandages to replace her old one. She bit her lower lip as the cloth brushed against the edges of the wound.

* * *

The edge of Kamino Ward was obstructed with a police blockade, preventing any would-be looters or undesirables from getting into the rescue zone while efforts were still being made to find survivors. The first aid station they'd taken her to had been close by, just a few blocks from the edge of the zone, and she walked along the sidewalk up to the policemen barring access.

"Civilians are not permitted past this point, Ma'am." The first one said, expression blank and ungiving. He looked tired, worn out.

"I'm not a civilian, my name is Scarlet Seer." She pressed, hoping they wouldn't require to see her hero license as proof. It was lost somewhere, probably buried in the wreckage of Kamino Ward. And she didn't exactly look like a hero right now, what with her ruined costume and injury.

Not to mention, she was pumped full of a painkiller, probably more than the recommended dose at that, making it easier for her to move without feeling shooting pain up her body. Maybe her eyes were looking a little glassy, but she was feeling marginally better by the minute.

The officer opened his mouth, one of his brows raised incredulously, but his companion laid a hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright. I recognize her from the broadcast."He pointed to her side. "But are you sure you don't want to get medical help, Scarlet Seer? That doesn't look minor."

_Broadcast?_

Hina tried not to let her confusion show and shook her head. "I'll be fine. I need to help with rescue."

"We could use all the help we can get..." He muttered, and they stepped aside for her to pass. Hina nodded her appreciation and entered into the wasteland that was now Kamino Ward.

* * *

All of the buildings, the dust, culminated into the same gray landscape. Tattered or worn colors were dotted here and there, but they looked faded and nearly gray. Every step was a danger, glass and metal and sharp objects poking from every part of the ground if you weren't careful. Her boots gave her some protection, but even they could be punctured if she took a wrong step.

"Anyone there?" She called, listening for a response. In the distance, she could hear other rescue teams helping to bring survivors out from the collapsed structures. "Hello? Does anyone need help?"

No response, and her heart clenched. She'd been at this half and hour and she had yet to find a single living person. Several dead. Many dead. But no living, breathing, people.

Soft whimpers alerted the redhead, and she stopped, listening again to catch the direction of the sound. "I can hear you. Where are you? It's alright now, I'm coming to you."

A small, fearful sniffle, and a choked sob. A section of what had been a house, the front facing door and corner, were remarkably still intact. She went towards the section of building that had survived, and crouched down to peer inside the doorway. It was dark and mostly filled with debris, but there was still a small space left open.

A young girl, probably no more than 6, sat pushed up against the corner of the building. Her clothes and hair and skin were covered in dust and she looked scared. The fact that she'd survived was miraculous, picking the one spot of the house that hadn't been ground into dust. Hina gave her a little smile, shuffling to be closer to her.

"Hey...it's ok now. We're gonna get you some help." She reached out so the little girl could take her hand, but she didn't even move. Barely acknowledged her presence at all.

"What's your name?" The telepath tried again, but still the little girl just sniffled to herself, eyes wide and staring at the wreckage of what presumably had been her home.

Hina sighed, eyes glowing blue as she delved into the little girl's mind. Immediately, she was assaulted by many recent memories. Loud, distant explosions, the little girl's mother telling her to hide, ushering her towards the door to the basement, but another crash just nearby startled them both. The mother screamed, the little girl covered her ears with her hands, crying from the sound.

From the little girl's own memory, the kitchen exploded outwards, her father still standing inside. She ran, ducking into the nearest corner to cry, and she saw as her mother was engulfed in a smattering of wood and brick and furniture, crushing her against the opposite wall.

She called out her daughter's name right before her life had ended. Mari.

Hina pulled out from her head, ignoring the tear tracks down her own cheeks. She reached out to the girl's head, gently placing her hand on her hair. "Mari. Come with me. We'll get you to safety."

The girl looked up at her name, but still said nothing. Those eyes, they were haunting, much too young to have seen so much. Her family was gone. The hero wondered if she was even old enough to comprehend that, or if the concept of death was still something out of her reach. She didn't know which was worse, knowing she had no one left or left waiting for parents that would never come back.

Hina slowly gripped onto her shoulders, bringing her forward until she had the young girl against her chest in a protective fashion. She was so small, so frail. And so unbelievably cold. There was no resistance from Mari and she limply allowed Hina to move her as she wished.

Fresh tears blurred her vision, and she blinked to dispel them. Her heart felt heavy, and each step forward felt long and arduous back towards the way she'd come.

"It'll be...ok now." She whispered to the little girl, hoping her voice didn't waver.

* * *

"Otōsan!" A young man cried out, and Hina rounded a pile of debris to find him digging desperately through another hill of the remains of Kamino Ward. "Otōsan!"

As she grew closer, she noticed a large gash across his head right beneath his hairline, and a worrying amount of blood staining his face and clothing from the wound. Hina approached cautiously.

"Do you need help?" She called, and he whipped around to see who had spoken.

"My father...he's in here somewhere! I thought I heard him around this spot!" He went right back to grabbing large rocks and tossing them away, making very little progress in the pile of debris. Dust and wreckage simply fell, filling in the spots he was pulling from. He reached for another large shard of glass, and it was then that she noticed how cut up his hands were.

"Sir, you need medical assistance." She said, going closer to grab at his hands. He looked down at his bloodied palms and fingers, now coated with dust and dirt and probably infecting the wound, but he simply shook his head and yanked his wrists away from her grip.

"I can't stop looking. He might run out of air soon!"

"Sir, please! You're bleeding heavily. You'll die at this rate if you don't get help."

"Not until I find him! We'll get help together!" He cried, eyes tearful and teeth bared in desperation. He choked back a sob, body shaking. "I can't leave him..."

Hina looked through the wreckage, eyes widening, before activating her quirk on the young man. She swallowed thickly.

"I'm here now, and I'll look for him. Don't you think he'll be worried enough if he finds out you didn't get your wounds treated? You could die from infection, even if he is found." She pointed out, gently stilling his hands again. "Don't give him any more reason to worry. Both of you have just been through a traumatic experience. Leave the rest to me."

The young man sat there staring at the pile of rubble, eyes searching for any sign of his father. He winced, and Hina leaned forward to put herself in his line of sight.

"Please. Come with me. Get your injuries checked." Her soft voice encouraged, and she finally saw his eyes sag with his impending exhaustion.

"Ok." He said, then turned to her with fresh tears. "But please...find him. _Please."_

Hina managed as close to a smile as possible, pulling him up from the ground and ushering him towards the first aid station. "I promise."

She dropped her quirk, keeping his gaze in front of them as they walked away, glad that she'd thought to erase the severed arm on the ground several feet away from his vision. Perhaps it wasn't a very hero-like thing to do, lying to him like this, but she couldn't handle seeing his grief in that moment.

She passed by one of the rescue workers, and her eyes glowed blue once more.

_"There is one deceased male in the rubble behind us. Please, be discreet about removing him. His son does not know he is dead."_

* * *

So many dead. So few survivors in comparison. Hours of work, with very little rescue overall. It was demoralizing and exhausting. One of the things Hina had always been taught about rescue operations was to be the hope that others so desperately were hanging on to. Give that smile, tell them everything would be alright, and stand on unwavering feet to show that your strength could be a beacon for them to flock to.

But this...after awhile, she was unable to smile any longer. Her words felt stale before they'd even left her mouth. The painkillers from her nurse earlier were beginning to wear away, and her wound was flaring up. A pounding headache was also pounding at her temple, though that was her own fault.

Frustrated with not finding anyone, Hina had began trying to connect with people's minds despite not having a line of sight on them. It was taxing, extending her quirk without a target, and ultimately accomplished nothing, but she was determined to figure out how to bypass her quirk's biggest weakness and find them, help them, and bring them to safety. Hours of trying left her no closer to managing it, though, and only rewarded her with a migraine.

There was no hope on many of these citizens faces. All of the volunteers and heroes alike were feeling it too, the sheer devastation upon these grounds. On a scale they hadn't seen for years. If at all.

Hina passed by Death Arms, one of the few who had been the first to respond among the heroes. They passed each other a few times during the course of the day, either on their way to bring the wounded to first aid stations, or to help get a section of building off of someone who could possibly still be alive.

He looked more downtrodden than she'd ever seen him. They exchanged a nod, both too tired to speak, and went on to try to find more people to rescue. Those that had been doing this since the fight's conclusion the night before looked no better than walking corpses.

Dropping off the unconscious body of an elderly woman that she'd found wedged between two buildings' walls, somehow still alive, the redhead turned to go back out to search for more civilians. However, the sight of dozens of fresh-faced heroes made her stop with surprise. Many she didn't recognize, but Ryukyu was among the crowd and she stepped forward to speak.

"Those of you at your limit, go home. Get rest and return in the morning." The dragon hero declared, getting the attention of all nearby. "We'll continue in shifts until the wreckage is cleared. In the meantime, allow us to take your place and continue the rescue efforts."

_I can keep going_, was Hina's first thought, but a particularly sharp stab of pain told her otherwise. She begrudgingly realized that she had reached a peak that, if crossed, would only cause herself further and unnecessary damage. Being here at the rescue zone would only hinder the others.

* * *

Her home felt...empty. It was empty, of course. Until she stepped inside, there was no one else there, but there was something missing that she just couldn't place. Whatever it was, Hina was too tired to try to figure it out and sat tersely on the edge of the couch cushion.

Tired. Cold. Hungry. Thirsty. Blank, overall. There was so much on her mind and yet her body was past the point of function that it all conglomerated into a fuzzy mess of background noise in her head. She stared blankly at her tv.

And then she cried. The bubble of her grief broke, with one and then more tears falling from her eyes, and the UA teacher bent over in wracking sobs. Hands covered her face, hands that had touched dead and wounded and those too shocked to realize what had happened to them yet. So many had needed help, and still there were so many more they had yet to find. Kamino Ward was a large area, and nearly all of it had been destroyed.

Hina's breathless, stuttering cries echoed through her empty apartment, and for minutes on end she let out her pain and misery through her tears. Her side hurt painfully, but she didn't give a damn. The pain in her heart was much worse.

She cried until her already dehydrated body had nothing left to give. Her face damp with her tears, red and puffy eyes beneath the palms of her hands, she felt a mess.

A buzzing noise from her kitchen counter caught her attention. At first she ignored it, but then recognized it as her phone vibrating. She wiped at her face, trying to get herself together, if just for a moment. Reluctantly standing to see what it was, she wobbled over to the kitchen, body sore and unsteady.

She'd forgotten to take her phone with her to the Hideout Raid, and it had remained here on the counter until now. Tapping the screen, she winced at the 27 unread text messages and the 8 phone calls all from various people. Nemuri had called and texted the most, but both Hizashi and Aizawa had tried to reach out to her too.

She went back to the couch, slowly going through the messages from her friends. They were all worried that she hadn't responded to them at all last night. Nemuri's were borderline frantic, and she figured that she needed to reach out to her first.

_"I'm ok. Not up for talking right now, but I'll call you later."_

She sent the same message to Hizashi, knowing the fact that she didn't want to talk was near blasphemy to the voice hero, but she really was just exhausted and they would both be too overbearing for her current mental state. At least they'd know she was still alive, and not one of the casualties of the ward.

Aizawa's few messages weren't quite as frantic as the others, but still nonetheless worried. She stared at his thread, feeling a sudden loneliness that hadn't hit her until now. She pressed the call button, not really knowing why, but doing so anyway. It only rang once.

_"Where are you?"_ Was his immediate question, and she blinked slowly.

"I'm home."

_"Are you hurt?"_

"..."

_"Hina."_

"...Sort of."

_"Stay right there."_

The line disconnected, and she stared at the phone for a moment, then locked the screen, watching her carpet with a blank gaze for an indeterminate amount of time.

Her sense of time must have been completely skewed, because what felt like seconds later, there was an insistent knocking at her door. Knowing who it was, she stood and went to the door to open it, not bothering to look through the peephole.

Aizawa frowned in concern the moment he saw her figure. She noticed he had shaved, his scruffy beard and mustache now gone, and his hair appeared to have been trimmed, the length not quite as long as she remembered. He wore a comfortable shirt and jeans, looking well in his civilian clothing. He always looked so handsome...

Hina realized she was still wearing her ruined hero costume, and she hadn't washed the dust and dirt and the little blood from her skin from helping with rescue, likely resembling something that had just crawled out from a dumpster. Her eyes glanced down at herself and sighed.

She stepped aside, allowing him to enter her home. The door shut, and he eyed the wound on her belly with a wince. The bandage the nurse had applied was beginning to peel, and was covered in dust and dirt. It was probably doing more harm than good at this point.

"You should go to the hosp-"

"I'm not going back there." She interrupted, staring at the ground. "They have civilians to worry about first. And I...can't deal with the grief right now."

"Grief?"

"They all looked so hopeless...I can't handle it. Not right now." Hina felt the sting of more tears behind her eyes. He nodded, seeming to understand what she meant.

"Do you have a first aid kit?" He asked, and she pointed down the hallway.

"Linen closet, second shelf." She muttered, and he'd already hurried away to grab it before she'd even finished talking. She sat on the couch again, waiting for him to return with a mix of feelings. She wasn't sure if she had wanted him around. Her emotions were in careful check right now, and she didn't want to end up breaking down in front of him.

He walked back around with a bowl of water, a washcloth, and the kit in hand, but refused to give it to her when she reached for it.

She feared being a burden, or an inconvenience. "I can change the-"

"Let me." He interrupted, meeting her eyes. He wasn't upset, or angry with her for having been injured. And she couldn't see annoyance in his expression. Just genuine concern that she was wounded. Too tired to argue otherwise, she simply nodded and allowed him to continue.

He peeled gently at the ruined cloth, unwrapping it from her torso. His eyes glanced back and forth from her face to what he was doing, checking to make sure nothing he did hurt her too much. She hadn't expected the thick silence between them to feel so comfortable, but just being near him gave her this sense of familiarity she'd been missing. Not to mention, it didn't let her thoughts wander back to everything she'd witnessed in the rescue zone the past 8 hours.

Aizawa reached the end of the roll, and slowly peeled the stained material away from her wound. It stuck at the edges, and she hissed as it caught on the dried blood. He murmured an apology, focused on not causing more pain than was unavoidable. Tenderly, the bandage cleared the wound and he carefully removed the rest, standing to throw the dirtied cloth away.

She looked down at it, noting the ugly redness around the edge. It was definitely irritated, possibly infected now that she'd gone out in the dirt and grime to rescue people. Oh well. A small price to pay in retrospect.

He returned to his spot in front of her and grabbed the wash cloth from the bowl of water. The extra water was squeezed out, and he gently began washing the area around her wound, careful not to press too hard or swipe too close to the injury itself. Their silence persisted, interrupted only by their breathing, or her occasional sharp intake of breath at a stab of pain.

Her thoughts began to wander back to the events of the day, and the night before that. It was crazy, just how much had happened in the past 24 hours. There was so much she wanted to know, but Hina didn't know where to even start. Breaking the silence took more effort than she'd expected.

"I blacked out after Bakugou escaped..." She trailed off, shivering as he brought the cloth around to her exposed back. "What happened after that?"

Aizawa didn't immediately answer, looking thoughtful as he continued cleaning her torso. "All Might faced against the man called All For One. A news helicopter set up a distance away and broadcasted the fight. The whole country was watching."

He squeezed the dirty cloth in the water, then cleaned it to use again. "He won, but in doing so revealed his true form. Last I heard, he was being treated for his injuries. He should physically recover, but they don't know if he'll ever be able to use his quirk again."

Hina winced, a spike of pain through her heart. She couldn't imagine not having her quirk. As much as she'd been afraid of it, it was still part of who she was. Having it taken away felt like stripping off a piece of herself, somehow. At least now she knew what the nurse had meant by 'broadcast.'

"That's terrible..."

"Mmm."

Another silence settled, and she thought of something else to ask.

"Bakugou's ok." He mentioned, guessing as to her next question. "He was released this morning from the hospital. He only had minor injuries from fending off the League and is home with his family."

A weight settled off her shoulders. "I'm glad."

Satisfied that her torso was as clean as it could be, he set the bowl of water aside and opened her first aid kit, grabbing the roll of bandages and some alcoholic solution. He glanced up at her. "This will sting."

Hina nodded, preparing herself for the cold liquid. He held a small portion of cut bandage underneath it to catch the excess fluid, and poured a small amount over the red wound.

"Nnngh..." She grunted, fingers gripping the couch cushion like a vice. A cold fire burned on her skin and she could barely keep her eyes opened. "Fuck..."

"Almost done." He muttered, voice a gentle reminder that she would be ok. She nearly relaxed if not for the alcohol harshly killing away the bacteria in the wound. Her teeth biting down on her lip prevented any other curses from slipping out.

He stopped pouring, letting it sit for several seconds to kill anything else that might be festering in it, before patting gingerly at the wound with the cloth, alleviating some of the pain. She was panting by the time he was done.

He quickly applied a new bandage, wrapping it tight but not too tight, as if he'd done this sort of thing before. She wondered if he made it a habit of tending to his own wounds at home rather than going to a hospital. He didn't seem the type that liked being in one, considering how quick he'd been back to work after USJ.

She looked down at his handiwork, thinking it was done better than her civilian nurse at the first aid station that morning.

He settled back on his feet, looking up at her seriously. "Do you want to talk about today?"

Hina thought about it, weighing how she felt at that moment, before shaking her head. "Eventually, but...not yet."

"Ok."

With that, he rose and returned the first aid kit to the linen closet. When he returned, he asked, "Do you have saran wrap?"

"...In one of my kitchen drawers." She replied, and he went to presumably go retrieve it. She heard a few open, then close, before he grabbed what he was looking for and returned. Sitting himself down in front of her again, he measured out a long piece, ripping it from the roll with the box's jagged teeth.

"What are you doing?" She asked, watching him wrap the plastic covering around her wound. It wasn't perfect, but tight enough that it wouldn't fall off. He wrapped it twice more around her stomach, before grabbing the medical tape from her first aid kit.

"Waterproofing your bandage so you can take a shower." He replied.

"Oh."

Cleaning herself up hadn't even been on her mind at all. He really was looking out for her. Her mind was all out of sorts at the moment. Once the top and bottom of the plastic covering was secured, he put the first aid kit away and stood.

"Stay here."

Obediently following his instruction, she waited, hearing him turn on the water for the shower and rummaging in her linen closet for a fresh towel. Hina closed her eyes at the sound of the running water, and her exhaustion from earlier seemed to double. A hot shower sounded heavenly right now, and a nap afterwards even more so.

"Hina." She heard, and she opened her eyes, seeing Aizawa crouching in front of her. "Let's get you cleaned up."

She nodded mutely, rising to her feet and gingerly walking down the hallway to her bathroom. A towel was placed upon the sink's counter, and the tiny room already felt warmer from the hot water steaming from the shower head.

"Aizawa." She said, turning and grabbing his wrist before he left. Their eyes met and she felt her heart swell. This man was amazing, taking care of her when she couldn't find it in herself to do so. She only hoped her eyes could somehow express that to him in a way that words just couldn't. A tear leaked from her eye, overwhelmed by his kindness. "Shouta...Thank you."

He looked at her a moment, then leaned forward, placing a tender kiss at her temple. She closed her eyes at the feeling. His lips lingered on her skin for a moment, then pulled away. Such a small act, but it spoke volumes to her. "Take your time. I'll still be here when you're done."

"Ok."

He turned away and she closed the door for some privacy. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and nearly cried again. Everything she'd been imagining before was correct, only a lot worse. Her hair looked almost gray from the dust and dirt in it. Her skin was ashen, bags under her eyes making them look sunken. She really did look terrible, as if one foot was already in the grave. A walking ghost.

Carefully removing her ruined hero costume she tossed the remains to the floor, her underwear and bra following after it. She pushed aside the shower curtain and stepped into the steam.

* * *

Hina knew her water bill for the month would probably be astronomical, spending nearly an hour just scrubbing herself clean of Kamino Ward and everything that had clung to her there. She shampooed twice, just to get all of the grime out, and she'd lathered her whole body with body wash, hoping the flesh of the dead would come away with the skin she scalded off. Her tears were indistinguishable from the water from the shower head above her.

The mirror was fogged up when she stepped out of the tub, and she wrapped herself in the towel Shouta had retrieved for her. It was then that she noticed the tattered costume and her dirty undergarments were gone, replaced by her own sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt she kept in the closet for lazy days. A fresh bra and underwear sat atop those too.

Surprisingly unperturbed that he'd gone through her drawers to pick out fresh clothing for her, she dried herself and dressed in her comfy clothes, taking off the saran wrap cover. He was only looking out for her, and Hina knew that he hadn't had any ill intentions rummaging through her underwear drawer.

She emerged from the bathroom feeling refreshed, but still tired. She spotted her boyfriend sitting on the couch, checking his phone when she entered the living room. He heard her approach and stood to face her. Saying nothing, she stepped close and wrapped her arms around his body, pressing her ear to his chest to hear his heart beat. He reciprocated the gesture, his chin pressed against the top of her head.

They stood there, quietly taking in the other's warm body as a comfort. The steady beat of his heart was more calming than anything else she knew, his even breathing slowly helping her match the pace, to ease her nerves. She breathed in the scent of his shirt, committing it to memory as a sign of safety and comfort. A sign that everything was ok. They could have stayed like that all night, and she wouldn't have minded. And for a long time, they did just that.

"Hina." She heard him say quietly, just above her ear. Eyes closed, she hummed a response. "You're falling asleep, so go lay in bed."

She hummed again and nodded against his shirt but made no effort to move, content to stand right where she was in his warm arms. Then, a realization came to her and she smiled a little. Her voice was thick with exhaustion. "You called me Hina."

She felt more than heard his low chuckled, deep in his chest, and he placed another kiss to her head. "And you called me Shouta."

"Mhmm..."

"Off to bed, now." He encouraged, finally just resorting to picking her up by the thighs and bringing her into her own bedroom. She jostled against him at being picked up but simply leaned her head on his shoulder. She was barely aware of what was happening as he eased her onto her bed, the soft pillow propping her head up at just the right angle. A set of blankets covered her body.

The one thing she could comprehend was her muttered request of 'Stay.' Whether he took up the offer or not was lost to the void of sleep.

* * *

A/N- Please please please leave a review with what you thought of the chapter. User feedback is what keeps me going, and gives me motivation to keep writing! Thanks so much! :)


	24. Chapter 24

A/N- I have no idea what happened between last chapter and now but I got like 10 reviews the last chapter which I'm so thrilled about! Thank you so much for all the support! I look forward to your feedback each and every time. :)

**(Because of just how many reviews I got in the last chapter, responses will be after the end of this chapter.)**

Onwards!

* * *

Hina's eyes opened to see her bedroom ceiling, and it took her a moment to figure out how she'd gotten there. The night before was a little fuzzy, but it quickly came back after a few seconds of reflection. Shouta. He'd been so kind, so patient and caring. She honestly didn't know how things had ended up so nice for her.

A look over at her alarm clock showed it was nearly 11 in the morning. It was great to know she'd been able to sleep in so long. She'd definitely needed it after the last few days she'd had. Her wound hurting from this angle, the redhead winced and shifted in place, then frowned when there was resistance on the bed's comforter. She looked to her left and immediately smiled, spotting the sleeping 1-A homeroom teacher fast asleep on his side. Still wearing his clothes from the day before, jeans and all, and his hair a mess on the pillow. The beginnings of his stubble was returning to his chin, and she had to resist reaching out to feel it with her fingertips.

He had his arm draped across her stomach, holding her close without being restrictive. She carefully twisted in place so as not to wake him, and just watched his calm expression. She committed the sight to her memory, staying there a while. His signature frown was gone, replaced instead by the relaxation of sleep. The stress was gone, and he looked so carefree.

Unfortunately, the need to pee began to outweigh any desire to want to stay longer and just enjoy this small moment. Sighing to herself, Hina carefully got up and went to her bathroom to relieve herself, hoping the noise wouldn't wake him up yet. Her body felt stiff and movement was painful. Despite being injured, she felt like he could use more rest than she did. He rolled onto his back but otherwise didn't stir.

Finishing her business, she headed into the kitchen to make something to eat. She was starving and she figured he might be hungry when he woke up too. He'd taken such good care of her the day before. Hina wanted to return the favor somehow. If all she could do was make him a meal, then she'd do what she could for now.

She grabbed one of her pans and her carton of eggs, deciding that an omelet sounded like the most delicious thing in the world. An onion and some mushroom joined the eggs on the counter and she began chopping the ingredients for her meal.

The smell of the sautéing onions and mushrooms was invigorating, and her stomach rumbled with renewed gusto. She hadn't eaten in...well, she couldn't remember the last time. No doubt before the Hideout Raid. Maybe just two eggs wasn't enough for her omelet...

As it went when she cooked, her mind couldn't help but wander. She dwelled on the past day or so and frowned. According to Shouta, Toshinori may never be able to use his quirk again. It was so hard to think about, or even wrap her head around. All Might, the number 1 hero, out of commission? Retired? It had never even occurred to her that such a thing would happen in her lifetime, despite him being her senior. She couldn't imagine what he must be thinking right now. He took such pride in his position...Surely it would be difficult for him to accept that he couldn't use his quirk.

Not only was she concerned for All Might, but she just couldn't let go of the devastation. Part of her wanted to check the news on her phone to see if there were any updates from Kamino. How were rescue efforts? Were they still even finding people alive? How many dead? Had the villains come back for a second attack, now when they would least expect it? Had there been any further developments as to their whereabouts?

She idly stirred the sautéing vegetables, eyes staring off in space as her thoughts got the better of her. Had she done enough? Her injury was still a hinderance to movement, especially now that the healing had begun and the muscles around her torso were stiff and sore. It still hurt, though with some pain meds she could probably bear with it. Hina could power through it, go back out there and try to find more survivors. She was only one person, but every able-bodied hero assisting counted, right? If she had to endure more pain for the sake of rescuing another shell-shocked little girl who'd seen too much, then it was worth it.

Unable to resist the temptation to know what was going on with the rescue efforts, she reached for her phone on the counter. She had to know. It was eating her up, not knowing what was going on while she was just relaxing at home. It all felt wrong.

A hand covered hers on top of it, stopping her from checking. She looked up, peering into Shouta's face. Having been so lost in thought, she hadn't realized he had woken up or even wandered his way into the kitchen in the first place. He'd pulled his hair back in a hair tie, and she was honestly caught by how handsome he looked with his hair like this.

"Let the others handle it. Just rest and recover properly." He said softly, reading her expression for what she'd been thinking, hand still holding onto her wrist as he lifted it so she no longer held onto the phone. Her eyes winced with indecision.

"But I could still-" She tried, but he shook his head.

"The other heroes can do the rest." He reasoned, a stern look in his eye. "You've done enough, Hina."

He lifted her hand to his face and guided her thumb to trace the scar under his eye. A reminder to when she tried convincing him of the same thing in his moment of weakness. A reminder that they all had limits, and she'd reached hers.

Hina was quiet, but finally nodded. Every part of her wanted to go back out there, but the past few days had taken a lot out of her, physically and emotionally. Heroes were expected to push themselves to protect the general populace, to place themselves in danger for their sake, but they also were expected to know when they were in over their head. Injuring herself further wouldn't do anyone any favors.

He released her hand and she picked up the wooden spoon she'd been using to stir the vegetables. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes, but I can make breakfast for-"

"I may not be allowed to go back out to rescue, but cooking an omelet isn't gonna kill me." She retorted, a smile lifting the corners of her lips. "Go sit and I'll make you one. As a thank you for taking care of me yesterday."

"You're injured."

"Shouta. Sit." She urged, holding up her wooden spoon as a mock weapon, prepared to hit him if he so much as stepped another foot further into this kitchen. He glanced at the spoon, then back at her, and she decided that that alone wasn't big enough of a threat to convince him. "Do you want to see a drunk Hizashi in a speedo singing bad karaoke? Because I can make that happen." Her eyes glowed blue to demonstrate her serious treat.

He narrowed his eyes in amusement, but gave in to her wishes, sitting at the table within view of the kitchen so they could still talk while she cooked.

Her eyes returned to normal and she went back to what she was doing. Satisfied that the vegetables were properly sautéed, Hina transferred them to a small bowl in the meantime, cracking the eggs into another bowl to whisk together with milk.

"Have you heard anything from Toshinori?" She asked, and he shook his head. "I'm worried about him. The nurse I spoke to after waking up in the first aid station said the doctors didn't know if he'd be able to use his quirk again. Considering everything, I hope he's ok."

"Mmm." Shouta watched her cook with a relaxed expression on his face. Now that he wasn't pushing to do something else for her, he seemed ok with just spending time together like this. He propped up his chin with one hand, his elbow resting on the table. "The media is worried too. If it is true, and he's forced to retire, Endeavor would take his place as Number 1."

"Yeah...I'm not so sure how I feel about it." She admitted, shaking her head. She took the bowl of vegetables and poured half of it on top of the egg, saving the rest for her own meal after this one. "Having millions of people look to him as their inspiration? I fear for the generation of kids who wish to be just like him."

"I've always felt the rankings were more for public relations than actual heroic recognition-All Might may have been an exception-but in this case, it's more complicated." He stated tiredly. "There's really no one else capable of taking All Might's position in sheer strength, and whoever they officially recognize will become the figurehead for whatever comes next."

She shrugged. "That's true. And hey, maybe suddenly being thrust into the top spot might make him self-reflect. I'm not holding my breath, though. He's just an ass, plain and simple."

"Personal grudge?" He guessed, and she rolled her eyes.

"Not really, but...every interaction I've ever had with him has left a bad taste in my mouth. Either he's displaying why I'm weak or he just gives me these looks like 'why am I even a pro hero?'" She flipped over the edge of the omelet, thinking back on her last encounter with him. She managed a tiny smile. "Felt nice to shove his words in his face for once before the Hideout Raid."

Shouta's brow raised, wondering what she'd said but she didn't elaborate. He was at least glad to hear that she didn't believe Endeavor's claims. She'd worked so hard to build herself up this far. It wouldn't do to see her drag herself back down based on what he'd said.

Hina was putting Shouta's omelet on a plate when they both heard his ringtone sound from his pants pocket. He dug the device out and answered. "Eraserhead speaking."

Bringing him his food and setting it in front of him with a fork to eat it, she stepped away to begin making her own food. He was concentrating on the call and didn't look up.

"What time would you like us there?" He asked, glancing her way. She raised her brows, wondering if she was somehow a part of this conversation and who was actually calling, but he lifted his finger for her patience. "Hero costume or business casual?"

_Must be Nezu._ Did they have an assignment to perform with the public? Normally they were free to dress casual or in hero costume unless working with the public or the parents of the students. Parent-Teacher conferences were still a while away, and she knew of no public event going on anytime soon.

She whisked together the egg mixture for her own omelet, listening as Shouta promised to be there at the designated time, and to inform Scarlet Seer of it as well. He ended the call and turned to her.

"We have a meeting today with Nezu at 2." He informed her. "Dress is business casual, so I assume we'll be talking with the public at some point today. I don't see any other reason why he'd request us to."

"I figured as much but...how did Nezu know I was with you?" Hina wondered aloud, seeing no reason why he'd tell Shouta to let her know about the meeting. "Did you tell anyone you came over here yesterday?"

The erasure hero shrugged. "No, but he's a genius. Most of the time, I think we underestimate just how much he knows."

"Hmm...true." She said after thinking about it. Not for the first time, she had to be reminded that he was, in fact, the most intelligent being employed at UA. His looks were extremely deceiving.

They finished having breakfast together, chatting about small things until their plates were empty. Hina felt like that one omelet hadn't even put a dent in her hunger, though she'd wolfed it down without shame and ended up finishing her plate before Shouta even did. Given a few minutes, perhaps her body would actually register that she'd even eaten something and the hunger wouldn't be there still.

"I should go and get ready for the meeting." The erasure hero said, standing from his chair with his plate in hand to put in her sink. His usual neutral expression was back in place, as if mentally preparing for his day ahead. "Will you be ok?" He pointed down to her torso, and she glanced down at it.

"I'm sure I can manage." She smiled, right behind him with her own empty plate. She'd wash them later.

He grabbed his shoes and put them on, standing to say goodbye to her. "I'll see you at the meeting. I appreciate the breakfast."

"I appreciate _you_." She replied, stepping up close and looking up into his face. She smiled wider, noticing the red blush rising up his neck and how he looked away at her wholesome confession.

Her hands stretched up to hold his face and she lifted herself to kiss him. She felt him sigh, and his hands settled themselves on her waist. They ghosted there, gentle and not wanting to cause her wound any harm. Always thinking of her.

"You're too good to me, Shouta." She said quietly against his lips when they finally parted.

* * *

Dressed in a professional pencil skirt and a white blouse, her hair down and straightened in a simple style, Hina arrived earlier than anticipated to the school for her meeting with Nezu. She could feel the bandage rubbing underneath the skirt's waistband, but there wasn't much she could do to alleviate it. Tugging the fabric down did nothing, as her hips were too wide to allow it any lower.

Wincing a little with each step, she managed to make it through the entrance doors without problem, and she turned the direction of Nezu's office.

"Scarlet Seer!" She heard a voice behind her call. She turned, smiling when she recognized the signature blonde hair. She raised a hand in greeting, stopping so the injured hero could catch up with her.

"I'm glad to see you're alright, but I didn't expect you to be out of the hospital so soon. You must heal very quickly." She said, surprised by how healthy he was looking so soon after the fight.

He smiled tiredly, his arms and head still bandaged. His head cocked to the side. "In retrospect, my wounds weren't as bad as they probably looked. Recovery Girl's treatment took care of most of the concerning ones, and the rest just need time."

"That is good to hear."

He nodded, then peered down at her own torso with a pained expression. "I remember seeing All For One get a hit on you during the fight...have you recovered?"

"Getting there." She said, laying a hand on the wound in question. "I had a few quirk healings done when I woke up in the first aid station near Kamino, but I'll let the rest heal naturally. Right now It's still pretty raw but I'm sure it'll be much better in a few days."

"I see." He said, crestfallen. She still couldn't get used to seeing such sadness on his face. He was normally so positive and enthusiastic.

Then, to her absolute shock, Toshinori got to his knees and pressed his head to the floor in prostration. To have him bow to her of all people...was truly overwhelming. "I am truly sorry for not having been able to prevent All For One from harming you."

"T-Toshinori! You...you don't have to do that!" Hina sputtered, hands waving in the air defensively. "Please, raise your head. There is no need to lower it for me."

"There is." He admitted with force, face still pressed to the floor. He would not accept her request to rise. "You protected Young Bakugou from the League of Villains when I could not. Not once did you leave his side until his safety was ensured, even when the numbers were against you. My own overconfidence led to things going horribly wrong on the mission. Had you not been there for him, I fear we would have lost him completely."

Hina was speechless, unable to formulate a response as he continued.

"You have shown me yet again the tremendous dedication it takes to teach these young heroes, and that I myself have yet to learn what it truly means to be a good teacher. These students are fortunate to have you. You are so young, yet you know much more than I. Thank you for showing me the way to connect with these young men and women, and how best to instruct them."

Nearly on the verge of tears, both from shock at seeing him in such a position and from Toshinori's acknowledgement of her teaching, she shuffled to her own knees and placed a hand on his hair. "Please, raise you head."

Finally, he did, lifting it to peer into her face. Both of them were still knelt on the floor. She smiled, her eyes glassy.

"Thank you for your kind words, Toshinori. But I should be the one bowing to you, for saving us from All For One. Seeing our difference in strengths is something I cannot forget. We really are very lucky to have you here to teach the hero course." She saw it, the tiny shift of his expression, that sliver of sadness when she mentioned it. Her smile wilted just a little, and she moved to make eye contact with him again. Perhaps the rumors were correct after all. "Oh. Is it true then...that you can no longer use your quirk?"

He let out a heavy breath. "Yes...I cannot maintain my muscle form for more than a few seconds. To put it simply, my body can no longer withstand the strain required to activate it." He looked down at his bandaged hands, making a tight fist before releasing it. "I have no other choice than to retire now."

"I am so sorry." She said empathetically, but he looked up.

"Don't be. Regardless, I would have ended up this way. My quirk's limit was shortening little by little with every use. I've been on borrowed time for much longer than I'd ever expected. Eventually it would have come to this point." He managed a small smile. He shifted to his feet and stood, holding out an elbow to help her stand as well.

"My only regret is not having been able to completely take care of the League of Villains before putting away the suit." He said, and she hoisted herself up, trying not to pull too hard and aggravate his own injuries. She winced as her wound pulled a little. "With Shigaraki still out there with the other villains, I know we haven't seen the last of them."

Hina nodded, smoothing down her skirt before looking back up to him. "Now we just have to entrust the rest to the next generation of heroes. Which makes our jobs as teachers all the more important, I suppose."

"Yes. It does." He agreed.

* * *

Standing beside her fellow teachers, Hina faced Nezu's desk. The dog-bear-mouse principal thanked All Might for his services, before moving on to the real topic for bringing them here.

"Despite your efforts, there are many who don't believe you should continue as a teacher at UA." He stated, and she felt Toshinori tensed beside her. "Many point to the fact that these incidents began taking place after you being hired here. There is a fear that the children will get caught up again now that you can no longer fight to protect them. Everyone is uneasy."

The blonde hero lowered his head, but Nezu looked up again with a smile.

"That is why this time, we must make stronger the faith in the heroes you have passed the torch on to. The threat is still present, of course, so this means protecting and training with more strength than before." He said, before reaching for a folder on his desk. It was thick, filled with many papers.

"Now may be the ideal time to proceed with an idea I've had on my mind for awhile now." Opening the folder, he pushed forward several of the sheets, and Hina read the word 'dormitory' on the top of the one directed to her.

"Student dorms?" She asked allowed, grabbing the paper and reading more in depth.

Nezu nodded. "Yes. Not only can we keep them close and in the safety of UA's school grounds, it promotes the forming of bonds from class to class. I understand there is some contention between 1-A and 1-B?"

Vlad King shrugged. "I wouldn't call it contention. For the most part, my students view their relationship with 1-A as a competitive one, but not hostile. They enjoy the thought of pitting their own quirks against theirs."

"1-A holds no ill will towards 1-B, respectively." Aizawa mentioned casually, eyes skimming the page he held. Nezu nodded in understanding.

"Then it will promote the friendships that will help them once they are fully licensed pros. Cultivating those bonds now will strengthen their cooperation and teamwork later."

The teachers nodded in understanding. Nezu smiled again, crossing his paws on the desk. "Now on the topic of safety. For quite obvious reasons, it wouldn't be wise to allow the students to live in the dormitories unsupervised. Ideally, I'd like at least two staff members per dormitory to live on-site as guardians."

"You're asking us to move on campus." Aizawa summarized, his expression not giving as sort of clue as to his mood.

"Yes. It would make the most sense for the students to be supervised by their homeroom teachers, so Vlad King and Eraserhead would be my first choices for the hero course dorms. However, I don't believe parents would be completely convinced of their safety having only one hero there for protection, and in the case of the female students, not having a female teacher available to them may be a parent's concern. So I'd like Hina and Nemuri to consider the request as well."

It made a lot of sense, logically, but she wasn't sure just how she'd feel living on-site to her place of work. There wouldn't be a whole lot of time for herself, should she decide to go with Nezu's request. At the same time, it felt nice to be considered for something like this to protect the students. Quite a difference from when the principal denied her request to work security for the sports festival.

"I realize I am also asking you to relinquish some of your personal time and freedom, not to mention the task of moving from your current residences." Nezu continued. "Of course, staff would be provided with their own separate apartment for privacy and comfort. They would simply be a short distance from the dorms to be accessible to the students when needed.

"I do not require an answer now. In the meantime, please speak to the parents about the dormitory system and get their consent. Unless we are able to convince them that we can keep their children safe, then this discussion is entirely unnecessary."

* * *

The cabin of the taxi was quiet as it drove to the first student's house on the list. Vlad was checking the address, and Hina held the consent forms. She stared out the window, watching as they sped past the citizens traveling on the sidewalk.

Nothing felt different. No one looked different. Hina didn't know what she'd been expecting in terms of the social impact of Kamino's aftermath, but certainly not...normalcy. Parents still brought their children out with them shopping. The local arcade was still packed with teens and their friends, competing for high scores and plushie prizes. The streets weren't empty or even emptier than they would otherwise be.

"You'd think they'd feel a sense of...urgency? now that All Might is retiring." Hina mentioned, spotting a grandmother with her two young grandchildren heading towards a local park. "I don't know...no one's panicking. There's no difference in the number of people out here on the street. It's almost like Kamino never happened."

"People are cautious." Vlad said, garnering her attention. "But they understand that living in constant fear isn't good either. Normalcy is preferable to martial law, isn't it?"

He had a point. Hina looked back out the window, and saw the sidewalks crowded with people going about their daily lives. "I guess so. It's just strange...I see all this going on and I've never felt so disconnected from them than I do right now."

"I'm not sure what you mean." He said, and Hina sighed.

"I don't quite know how to put it into words. It's like I've finally transitioned into living like a hero? I see these things going on that I feel like everyone should be worried about, but then I see everything proceeding as normal. Like I'm not part of the same world they live in." Her head shook slowly. "I'm not sure what to call it."

"A change in perspective, maybe." Vlad said simply. "The world of heroes and the world of an average citizen has always been different. Sounds like you've finally crossed over the boundary line."

Hina didn't know how she felt about that. "Yeah, maybe..."

* * *

Never before had Hina seen so much _greenery_ in one room.

Plants and flowers and other flora lined the walls and floors of the Shiozaki household, making it feel more claustrophobic than she would have expected. Everywhere she stepped, there was another plant. It was more akin to a jungle than a home at this point. And with how sacred Ibara held the plantlife, Hina took care not to step on or crush anything at all. It was stressful, but they eventually made it to the family's living room without causing a scene.

The two UA teachers were sat on the two chairs opposite Ibara's family. In this case, that only meant Ibara's mother and Ibara herself. The older woman, who looked very much like her daughter in many ways from the vine-like hair to the pristine and delicate personality, prepared them tea once they were settled. If not for the hair, they would have looked so out of place in the jungle-like residence.

"UA is establishing a dormitory system?" She clarified, and Vlad nodded.

"In light of the obvious targeting the students have been subjected to from villains, we believe keeping the students on the grounds of the academy is the safest option available. We do understand, however, if you have some apprehension regarding UA's ability to protect your child. Feel free to ask us any questions or voice your concerns."

After pouring the cups of tea, Ibara's mother used her hair as small plates, gingerly extending the hot tea cups towards her two guests. Hina eyes the cup before accepting it, careful not to knock it over by accident.

"I'll admit, it was rather alarming to see one of the students caught up in the incident at Kamino, may those poor souls find eternal peace." She added on, looking to the ceiling with reverence. Ibara copied the position, and both women took a moment of silence.

Hina glanced at Vlad from the corner of her eye. _"I see where she gets her piety from."_

The blood user nodded slowly, but otherwise didn't comment. Ibara's mother looked back up at the teachers.

"I've seen many news reports questioning the school's capability. People are scared after what happened. But you are incorrect, Vlad King, I have no hesitation in entrusting my daughter's safety to you."

Both teachers looked surprised, and her mother smiled. "I already know how hard the academy works to keep these students safe. Their intentions are pure, and I do not believe there is any other place that could provide greater security for her. From what my daughter tells me of the training camp, that much is obvious."

Hina bowed her head. "It is still shameful, to have ever allowed such a thing to happen."

Vlad did the same, and Ibara's mother sighed.

"It is an unfortunate reality that villains will always seek to harm the innocent. But it has always been that way, and I am aware that heroes are people too." She explained, turning to her daughter and cupping her chin with one hand. "Having her remain under the academy's tutelage is the best way to protect her. Don't you think, my sweet?"

"UA has been a remarkably educational place for me." Ibara said in agreement, her hands clasped together in wonder. "I can see how I've grown stronger, both in how to protect myself and others. I don't know of another place in which I could continue that growth. I would very much like to continue studying there, and remaining on campus will help bring me closer to my classmates."

Hina smiled. "We certainly believe it will. Thank you for having faith in us as educators, Ms. Shiozaki." She added, directing it towards her mother. She handed her the consent form to sign.

"Of course." Ibara's mother said, smiling softly. "Please, help my daughter reach her full potential."

* * *

"Kenshi! Yosetsu! One of you get the door!" A female voice shouted from within the house. A lot of other noise accompanied the shout, including a very vulgar curse that just didn't sound correct coming from a lady's mouth. Loud crashes and bangs followed suit.

Vlad and Hina shared a concerned glance, but the door was opened a moment later. Three sets of eyes, all at varying heights in the doorway, peered at them. Yosetsu who stood in the middle of the opening immediately startled at seeing his teacher. "Vlad Sensei, what are you doing here? Oh, Hitagawa Sensei too? What's going on?"

"Yosetsu, are your parents home?" Hina questioned politely, intentionally ignoring the string of curses they could all hear behind the student, and he nodded.

"Sure, come on inside." He gestured for them to enter, and the two teachers obliged. The three other younger boys ran off another direction, giving them space to enter.

The interior of the house was clean, but the odd nut and bolt could be seen in corners of the room and on various flat surfaces of the house. Small metal and wooden knick knacks hung from the walls and sat on shelves. Hina almost mistook the place as the equipment workshop back at UA. It definitely had a distinctive metallic scent to it, as well.

Yosetsu gestured for them to stay put in the main entryway. "One sec, let me get my parents."

The boy disappeared past a doorway across the living room, where the swearing and loud banging noises were coming from. Down the hallway to their left, they heard several running feet. A moment later, the three boys from before ran into view, then in a circle around them. Playing tag or chase or some other sort of game.

"Fuck!" The youngest of the three shouted out with glee, trying to catch up with his brothers. "Fuck!"

"Yuji! Shut the fuck up!" Another of the boys shouted.

"Boys! Get back here!" An older male shouted from down the same hallway.

Suddenly, one of the boys grabbed his younger brother's hand and placed it against Hina's arm. She gasped, feeling a tingling sensation, and then he ran off, leaving his younger brother welded onto the teacher's arm.

"What? H-hey!" She called, stuck to the child who was now crying and trying to tug himself off of the strange woman he now found himself attached to. Vlad just sort of stood there, in shock and unsure of what to do. Neither of them had been in a situation like this. He would have grabbed for the child but doing so didn't seem that appropriate.

"Daaad! Kensho welded Yuji to the lady!" The middle boy yelled out, chasing after the older sibling without looking back. They left the youngest to cry against Hina's arm. She crouched down and shushed him as best she could.

"It's ok! It's ok..." She tried calming him down, but the kid just wouldn't stop crying.

Thankfully, Yosetsu's father seemed to arrive, looked upset and disheveled. "Kensho! I cannot believe you would do this!" Then, he turned to Hina with a deeply apologetic expression. "I am so sorry about my son's terrible behavior."

"It's really no problem..." Hina reassured, watching as the father laid his hand on her arm and unattached his son from her. She rubbed at the spot the welding had occurred, trying to get the sensation off of her skin.

Yuji threw himself into his father's arms sniveling and crying some more. Yosetsu's father stood, holding his youngest son and bowing his head. "Please, have a seat. I know our home can be overwhelming...four sons isn't an easy force to tame."

"It is not a problem." Vlad said, following after him into the living room. He disappeared into the kitchen a moment later, no doubt looking for his wife.

It was cozy enough, and they sat on the couch to wait for the Yosetsu's parents. Hina and Vlad could still hear running feet in the rooms up above them, and continuous curses from practically everyone in the household. Hina had never heard so much vulgarity all in one place, and she worked at a damn high school.

Yosetsu entered the living room, followed by his father and mother a moment later. They sat on the couch across from them.

Yosetsu's mother, looking haggard and definitely not in the best of moods, crossed her arms and sighed. "I do not mean to be rude, but you must understand you are here at a bad time. Our refrigerator has stopped working and I'll be damned if I'm going to spend money on a repairman to fix it when we have our quirk."

"I understand, Mrs. Awase." Vlad nodded his head. "We are sorry for the poor timing. Please understand, this matter is still very important."

Hina cleared her throat. "UA is implementing a dormitory system, which will house-"

"Dorm system? Will Yosetsu be living permanently on campus?" She asked in a hurry, and Hina paused at the interruption.

"Uh, yes. Given your consent, he would be living in an on-campus dorm with his fellow classmates. If you have questions-"

"Well, sign him up!" She said, grabbing the paper from Hina's hand and already filling her signature on the bottom of the page. "If there's one less boy I have to deal with in this damn house, I don't care what you do with him."

"Honey, don't you think we should discuss this a bit before rushing into a decision?" Her husband asked, but she waved her hand dismissively, pushing the paper over for him to sign.

"Yosetsu, you want to keep going to UA, right?"

"Hell yes!" He cried out, fist pumping the air in excitement.

His mom shrugged. "Well, there you go. Topic discussed. So sign the damn paper so I can get back to fixing our fridge please."

She stood from the couch without waiting for his answer and went back into the kitchen to work. Yosetsu looked at his dad, who wasn't as forthcoming with his consent.

He shook his head, turning to the teachers. "My wife can be very rash, and makes decisions quickly. I don't feel so comfortable just signing away my son to you. Don't get me wrong, I have faith in UA's ability to teach him the right way of being a hero. But with everything going on recently, I can't help but be worried for his safety."

"Come on, dad." The student groaned, but Vlad gave him a look.

"Don't be inconsiderate of your father's feelings, Yosetsu. He has every right to be concerned."

Yosetsu sighed and looked away, crossing his arms. He clearly didn't see the problem here, since his mother had already agreed. However, Nezu required the signature of all living parents before the child could be admitted into the dormitory.

Hina bowed her head low. "All of the staff at UA take personal accountability for what happened with the students, from USJ to the training camp, and even Kamino Ward. UA sees how it has failed. We will take these mistakes and learn from them. It is for this reason that we ask your permission to keep him on campus under the protection of dozens of heroes who would risk their lives to ensure their safety."

"Myself and Midnight will be assigned to the dormitory for class 1-B. We will be available to them at all hours of the day, and will be first on hand should villains somehow breach the entrance." Vlad continued confidently. "If I may say, there would be nowhere safer for him than on campus."

Yosetsu's dad nodded along to all of the information Vlad laid out for him. He stared down at the dormitory consent form and sighed. The father turned to his son, staring at him intensely for a few seconds, before grabbing for the pen.

"I have always been an advocate for UA. We as the public have many things to thank you for. But please, do not make me regret signing this paper."

Vlad straightened in his seat, meeting the father's stare with his own, man to man. "We will not."

* * *

"All 20 families signed the forms." Hina summarized, flipping through the pages of paper they'd collected. "I'm actually surprised not a single one refused."

Vlad let out a sigh, undoing his tie now that they were done for the day. The taxi was currently taking them back to the school to drop off the forms to Nezu for filing. "It is good, though. None of the students will be left out of the dorm, and it will strengthen their bond and sense of teamwork."

"Here's to hoping..."

"You don't think it will?" He asked, and she shrugged, meeting his eye.

"We just can't afford for this not to go smoothly. With all of the controversies lately, even the smallest hiccups will be televised and torn into by the media. We're being watched like hawks. For the academy's sake, we'd best hope it will."

Vlad hummed, nodding slowly. "I'd say the hardest part is behind us. Talking with parents has never been my strong suit."

"I wonder if Toshinori and Shouta have had any luck with 1-A." She mused aloud. "Surely Bakugou's family wouldn't be too thrilled about the idea, but maybe having Toshinori there will ease their fears a little."

Vlad didn't say anything for a minute, but then smirked. "So...he's _Shouta_ now?"

"Uh..." Hina tensed, realizing her slip up. Her face grew hot with embarrassment at being called out for the sudden change in how he addressed her coworker. Surely, he probably had the wrong impression of what it meant. Something a bit dirtier than was the truth. "About that..."

"Don't worry, I'm not going to go around telling anyone. It's not that surprising, though." Vlad said, with a shake of his head. "I think we all had an idea that there was something between you two."

Hina smiled ruefully. "Is it that obvious?"

"Sort of. I just might be more perceptive than others." Vlad shrugged.

The redhead sighed, glad that he wasn't making a big deal out of it all. Unlike Nemuri when she first found out. "We're taking things slow, so we haven't really told anyone yet. It's not like it's a secret, though."

"You both are happy, that is all that matters. Right now it seems like you need that." He stated, then turned to look out the window again. They sat in silence for the rest of the taxi ride back.

* * *

A/N- Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter just as much as the last. I wish I could have included more Shouta x Hina time, but alas, they both have jobs to do. Gotta get the dorms up and running, my folks. Please, leave a review to let me know how I'm doing! All feedback is appreciated, and I make sure to respond to every single one!

**AnimeFan4Eternity-** First names, bitch. They finally got there, lol. I'm glad you liked her dedication to save others! I'm trying to focus more on her transitioning into the hero mentality, and that was a major aspect of that. :)

**RulerOfCats-** Her relationship with Daichi will be explored eventually! Sooner rather than later, I'm hoping. ;)

**Leoki-** Of course she would! She's one of them heroes. :D

**Cunnawabum-** I'm glad you enjoyed the angsty bits! I'm really happy how the aftermath turned out, and fleshing out the devastation. :) It takes time to talk about stuff like that. I'm sure they'll help each other get through it. :)

**Guest-** I'm really happy you like Hina! I'm definitely trying to flesh her out little by little. I was afraid of her not being that relatable. But people seem to like her thus far!

**PippinSqueaks-** Yay! Emotional is the key! I'm glad my writing is making you feel things. ;)

**cauldronkicker-** I'll give you more for sure! Hope to hear more feedback as I go! ;)

**Megan VR-** Yeah, I'm being very careful to keep them in character, Aizawa especially. He's a tricky one to write for. And it just turns me off when they write him all mushy without easing into it because it just does not click for me. I'm hoping to keep their relationship adult and yet also cute and sweet. Hopefully that is being accomplished. :)

**Dragondancer81-** Glad to see you on this story! I was missing your reviews from my other ones! :)

**jaffa3-** Lol no need to riot friend, your wish is my command.

**Rynxenvy-** I'm sure it definitely will stick with her. I would definitely be traumatized that's for sure. Don't you think I'd treat you to some snuggling Aizawa after a chapter like that? I'm not terrible to you guys, I'm a merciful god, lol...


	25. Chapter 25

A/N- Apologies for taking so long with this chapter. Work has been a bit hectic and I've been very tired. The life cycle of a writer, unfortunately...

**jaffa3-** I'm really trying to get her to interact with everyone, though there are quite a few teachers so in the constraints of the story it can be a little difficult. I'll certainly try my best to give them all some time, though! :)

**AnimeFan4Eternity-** Hina's hero focus is definitely rescue rather than combat, and now that she's rediscovered her capability, she's rearing to get out there! Of course, we all have a limit, which Shouta reminds her of. I can tell you are very enthusiastic about the topic of Toshinori, which I don't blame you! And nonsense, I love long reviews! :) Hmm...Nope. No unnamed watchers around whatsoever. *Suspicious whistling*

**Rynxenvy-** If I'm not able to fit everything within this main story, I will definitely do a compilation of little short stories about their adventures working and living together on campus, lol.

**Deni316-** Cheers to binge reading, lol! :)

**katastrophex3-** Thank you! I'm glad you like Hina and her relationship with Shouta. :) I hope you continue to enjoy!

Onwards!

* * *

After hours and hours of work, Hina was finally done. Well...nearly.

Slicing the box's tape apart with a box cutter, she set the tool aside and opened the flap of the final box from the broken-down mountain that currently sat in the living room of her new apartment. The small office extension, which connected to the back of the students' dorm building, was the only thing left to finish unpacking. Rather than leave it for later and possibly lose motivation entirely, Hina decided just to get it over with.

She'd saved the heaviest box for last, filled with her books and binders and journals that she'd kept from teaching the past few years. Inside the box was a mess, and she sighed, realizing that it had been jostled around in the move. Notes and lesson plans and other useful tools if she wanted to go back and look to see what she'd done before, all mixed together within. Had she downloaded it all onto a tablet or something, then she wouldn't have this mess. Maybe it was a bit of an outdated system, but she preferred the physical paper to a screen sometimes.

The tile floor was cold on her legs. Morning had come and gone, merging more into the afternoon now, but the room was still unpleasantly chilly for some reason. She'd have to get the thermostat working correctly so she wouldn't freeze when working in the new little office. She wondered if Shouta would be able to help her with that, as the one on the wall looked much more advanced than what had been available in her old apartment.

Finished putting her reading and reference materials away, she used the box cutter to break down the cardboard so it lay flat, then folded it in half so it took up less space. Sitting back to examine the results of her work, she sighed in relief. Now she was done. Finally.

Hina had yet to really acclimate herself to their new living arrangements. It still felt strange, the thought that Shouta was right down the hallway at any given time, rather than a 15 minute walk.

Both teachers had separate offices, allocated to the correct side of the building to be available to their assigned gender, though close enough to each other that should the girls need Shouta or the boys need Hina for anything, they were still relatively close by. Or, in the unfortunate circumstance in which they were both needed for protection, they could respond within seconds no matter where an attack was in the building.

Directly behind the offices were the staff apartments, connected via a door at the back that only they had the key to. It allowed for privacy and distance away from the students on their downtime, something Nezu had wanted to preserve as much as possible given the circumstances, while still keeping them close in case of emergency.

The only thing separating hers and Shouta's apartment was a single wall, thick in construction. Knock out one wall and they had practically moved in together. It was strange to think about.

Getting up from the floor, Hina gathered what boxes were left in the room and went to bring them to her living room. She dumped them on the already large pile, staring down at it tiredly. So much unpacking done in so short a time. She should feel proud, but she just felt exhausted, to be frank.

A knock on her door made her swing around, and she went to look through the peephole. She spotted a head of long blonde hair and her best friend, standing there waiting for her to open the door. They were both in casual clothing, glasses in place. Nemuri, sporting a shirt that was akin to taking vows and becoming a nun for the X-rated hero, even had her hair up in a loose bun which she normally never did unless on her days off. Hizashi had a beige cardigan on, comfortable and stylish, his hair let down to its full length.

Hina hung her head, not really up to a social visit at the moment but feeling bad that she'd put this off for so long already. They were probably wondering if she was ok, what with her lack of calling or texting. It truthfully just hadn't been on her mind to reach out to them. What a great friend she was.

Without really thinking much more on it, she turned the knob and swung the door open to greet them. "Hey." She says with a small smile. "How are-_oof." _

The wind was knocked out of her as Nemuri enveloped her in a tight hug. Nemuri's hugs were usually pretty light and friendly, but this time around it felt as if she thought letting go would mean Hina would slip away forever.

"Do you know how worried we've been about you? Did you forget we existed or something?" She said, then pulled back suddenly when she noticed Hina's squirming. "Oh, shit you're injured, I forgot! Shouta told me about that."

Hina held up her hands in a placating gesture. "It's fine, really...Most of it has healed and it's just a little sore now." She stretched over to give Hizashi a hug as well, seeing his hesitation now that Nemuri had mentioned an injury.

"I thought you would have reached out to us by now!" He said in mock outrage, and she sighed as she stepped back.

"I'm sorry, I really am. I've just been preoccupied and trying to work through everything, and now with the move I've been busy unpacking." She finished with a shrug, not sure what else to say. Hizashi crossed his arms and gave her a slanted smile.

"I get it but...don't forget you've got friends to lean on, too." His shoulder bumped into Nemuri, indicating her as well. "It's not like we wouldn't understand the stress of being a pro."

Hina nodded, realizing that she really should start opening up to her friends more about her troubles. They deserved better. She gave a small nod. "I know...I'm sorry."

Nemuri gave a little 'hmph.' "You'd better be. Make me food and I'll forgive you." She said, pushing past Hina into the still-cluttered apartment.

"What? I just got done unpacking! I'm tired!" Nemuri ignored this and looked around at the room. The redhead rolled her eyes but gestured for Hizashi to go in as well, since the sleep hero had already invited herself in. The voice hero smirked, then stepped inside followed by Hina.

"You're already done!?" Nemuri cried in outrage, gesturing at the neatly placed furniture in her living room. "How? I just started moving my stuff in, and the rest is still shipping over today!"

"I don't have a whole lot of stuff, I guess. My other apartment wasn't all that big." Hina shrugged. She allowed the two to wander through and see how she'd set herself up, leaning against the closed door with crossed arms.

"Yeah! Nice digs!" Hizashi complimented, nodding as he took in her decorations. The few pictures she did own weren't anything special, but she also didn't want to leave her walls completely bare. "These UA staff apartments aren't bad at all."

"What are you talking about? This is a downgrade compared to your bachelor pad near the studio." Nemuri pointed out with a raised brow from her spot on Hina's couch.

"I'm not saying they're better, just...not bad!"

Hina smiled, letting out a huffed laugh. "What are you doing over here anyway if you haven't even finished unpacking?" She asked, then narrowed her eyes at her friend. "Don't even think about asking me for help with your apartment. I already met my unpacking quota for the day, so no way am I helping."

Nemuri pouted, but shook her head. "That's why Hizashi is here anyway. I asked him for help. But I was tired of doing work and we hadn't seen you for awhile. It's been at least a month or two since we've had any quality time together! Just as long since we've done some shopping!"

"And Shouta said you were ok after the Hideout Raid but...I wanted to know for myself, ya know?" Hizashi admitted, splaying his fingers out in a pose and watching her carefully. Another example that his radio host personality never truly went away. "He did say you took it pretty hard."

She looked away, walking to the kitchen to get herself a drink. It was more just to have something to do if they were going to talk about this now. Something welled up in the very pit of her chest. "Yeah, I suppose..."

She heard Nemuri sigh from the couch. "I don't blame you. I was called down to the first aid station the past few days to help those who couldn't sleep. It only lasts for a few hours with my quirk, but I suppose just that small bit of rest is better than nothing. Everyone looked in terrible shape. I've never seen such a rescue operation of that scale before, either."

"Are they still finding survivors?" Hina asked while grabbing a glass from her cupboard, honestly having tried to keep a distance from it herself until it was confirmed to be over. Shouta had also suggested it, since the small amount she had witnessed had stuck with her so much. Nemuri shook her head.

"No, rescue efforts ended yesterday. All that's left now is corpses." Her gaze drifted away. "So many of them, too..."

Hizashi sat himself at the edge of her kitchen table, arms hugging his torso. "The radio station has been holding telethons and taking donations for the ones who need the help. Kamino Ward wasn't a very wealthy section of town, and hospital bills will probably be too much for those who survived. There's been a great amount of support from listeners, even more so than I would expect."

"It hit so close to home, and at such a large scale." Hina stated blandly, holding her glass up but not taking a drink as she leaned against her fridge. "I'm not all that surprised."

There was a small pause, a silence, before Hizashi looked at her. "What happened out there, anyway? On the Hideout Raid?"

"All Might is the only UA teacher that was there, and he isn't saying much." Nemuri added on, standing and joining Hizashi at her kitchen table. He scooted over to allow her room on the flat surface. "All we know is that Bakugou was rescued and All Might ended up fighting the leader of the League of Villains."

With a sigh, Hina went over the events as she remembered them, leaving the fact that she'd gone through Shigaraki's mind out of the story. It wasn't something she wanted to talk about, having creeped her out beyond measure. That, and anything connecting All Might to All For One on a deeper level, since she wasn't sure who was privy to that knowledge and if it was supposed to remain secret.

Her friends sat and listened intently, and for once they both kept their mouth shut the entire time she told her story. Normally they-and especially Hizashi-would interrupt and asking endless questions and comment on what she told them. This time, they just listened and took it all in.

They didn't look any happier once she finished retelling her version of events.

"They escaped, huh?" Nemuri muttered, then shook her head with a scowl. "I already knew it before, but just hearing it and saying it out loud...Damn it!"

Hizashi's eyes were narrowed. "It definitely leaves a bad taste in your mouth. After all that work, and they still slip away."

"Bakugou's rescue was the first priority. After he was out of the area, I probably should have tried to stop them, but all I could think about was getting out of there too." Hina admitted, thinking back on it in hindsight.

Nemuri shook her head, waving a head dismissively. "I'm sure you did all you could. Besides, you were injured! You gave all you had protecting Bakugou."

"I guess..."

"Makes you wonder how it all went wrong though, doesn't it?" Hizashi mumbled, rubbing the side of his face thoughtfully. "We had all the best people there, the top two heroes included. And they still barely scraped by a success."

"What are you trying to say?" The raven-haired beauty asked.

"Well, an inside man could have-"

Nemuri rolled her eyes. "Oh, not _this_ again."

_"What?_" Hizashi questioned, spreading his hands. "Considering what happened, I'd say the chances of there being a traitor just increased tenfold."

"You do realize the only two UA staff members there were All Might and Hina." She explained pointedly. "So unless you're suggesting that the traitor is actually an _outside_ source, then that doesn't make sense. You really think either of them would have conspired with the enemy?"

The voice hero sighed, seeing her point. "...no, but...I don't know, I just hate feeling like we have to constantly watch our backs with people we thought we could trust! I see way too many coincidences here to rule it out."

"We still need to be careful about assuming things. And there's no evidence that a traitor had anything to do with this mission anyway." Hina pointed out, setting her glass in the sink now that she'd finished it off. "Being there and seeing it all, I can see how it was our own fault that it turned out that way. We may just end up making things worse by thinking something or someone else was involved."

"Yeah..." Hizashi admitted, nodding his head and crossing his arms. "If there's one thing I do know for sure though, it's that I can trust you, Shouta, and Nemuri. I don't see how it would be possible that any of you are traitors."

Hina appreciated his confidence in her, but couldn't dwell on it longer as she watched Nemuri's lips curled into a predatory smirk, her eyes falling to half-lidded as she stared at the redhead intently. Oh no. She knew that look.

"Speaking of which...how's it feel being neighbors with your man?" She asked suggestively, eyebrows waggling a little. "Exciting, isn't it?"

Sometimes Hina wondered how the woman could go from a downer conversation to being lewd in the span of half a second, but perhaps she'd never know. Part of her knew, of course, that this was Nemuri's way of picking their spirits back up after the depressing subject at hand, to which she was a little thankful.

The redhead rolled her eyes rubbing at them as if she had a headache. "For the love of-"

"Come on, you're both dating. Now neighbors." Nemuri explained. "I know _you_ for a fact haven't gotten laid in _who_ knows how long. There's gotta be some nice steamy tension building between you two."

"Do you really have to announce that!?" She pressed, a little embarrassed since she really didn't want to discuss the finer details of her sex life to Hizashi. He was her friend, yeah, but not as close as Nemuri. Plus, he was a dude. It just felt a little weird.

"Oh, relax, it's just us." Her smile widened. "I wouldn't blame you if you loved having him so close by, so you can have those late night trysts no one knows about."

"Seriously, are you 16?" Hina retorted, shaking her head. Her face was probably very red at this point. "We don't have _'late night trysts._'" She air quoted.

"Ah, so _afternoon_ trysts?" Hizashi added knowingly, which set his female companion to giggling.

"I'm this close to kicking you both out." She warned, narrowing her eyes and allowing them to flash blue. It wasn't like her quirk alone could make them leave, but at least it showed that she had had it with their teasing.

"Alright, alright!" He smiled but held up his hands. "But seriously, jokes aside. How are you two doing?"

Hina crossed her arms and dropped her quirk, looking away at the genuine hope in his eyes that they were doing ok. "We're...really good, actually. It's just the circumstances lately haven't left us much time to spend together."

"Hopefully that'll change with these new living arrangements." Nemuri said, finally dropping her teasing and being a supportive friend. Then she frowned when she heard her ringtone, fishing her phone out of her pockets. "One sec..."

She answered the call and held it up to her ear, hopping off the table and going away a few steps to gets some privacy. "Hello? Oh yes, hi..."

While she took her call, Hizashi turned back to Hina. "Shouta seems happier, ya know. The guy's subtle, but I can tell what he's thinking most of the time. He probably won't admit it or anything, but he needs you around."

"Well...same goes for me. I need him around." She said, thinking back to the way he'd taken care of her after returning from Kamino Ward. She didn't know what sort of mess she would have been if he hadn't been there to steady her. He was quickly becoming her pillar of strength.

Hizashi smiled. "That's good to hear."

She returned the gesture. "Now all we need is to get you together with someone."

"Heh. Who knows? Maybe seeing you two all happy and sappy will change my perspective on things." He said with a grin, as if not believing his own words.

Hina raised a brow. Hizashi was a known playboy slash man-whore within the hero world, though to the public, he was simply 'looking for The One.' That perspective helped his image a little more than 'can't commit to a relationship.' He was lucky he was so adored by so many undying fans.

"You know, attaching yourself to someone for more than a week does have it's perks." She said.

"Yeah, but at what cost?" His lips turned into a pout, arms crossed again. "What'll happen when I lose that spark of mystery and intrigue, ya know? The listeners come back for more because they're trying to figure me out! And listen to some poppin' hits."

"I'm sure you'll meet someone that makes you change your mind. One day." Hina predicted with a shrug, figuring her and Shouta alone wouldn't be enough to convince him to stop burning through the single women of the city at the rate he did.

"Hmm. We'll see." Was all he said.

Nemuri hung up the call and sighed. "They just delivered the rest of my furniture, but I have to be there to sign for it. Looks like our little pow-wow is being cut short."

"Well, you _do_ still have unpacking to do. You should probably start up on that again." Hina suggested with a wry smile. "You know, instead of sitting here pestering me about my love life."

Nemuri's eyes narrowed behind her glasses. "Hey, you're not getting off scot free. The next time we hang out, I'm getting you wasted drunk so you spill _all_ those sexy little secrets of yours. And you aren't backing out of it this time, date with Shouta or not."

Hina shook her head, saying nothing, deciding that it wasn't worth her effort to try denying her right now.

Nemuri grabbed Hizashi's hand and dragged him towards the door. "Come on, we've got a lot of unpacking to do."

"Yay..." He said, then turned to Hina and mouthed 'Help Me.'

The redhead only smiled and twiddled her fingers in farewell, making no move to help her stricken friend. He had agreed to help the woman in the first place, a mistake Hina knew better than to make. Nemuri was a compulsive shopper, both of clothes and things for her apartment. She had a lot of stuff, suffice to say.

"Bye guys, let me know if you are free the next few days and maybe we can plan a night in, yeah?" She called, receiving replies back and watching the door as it shut behind them. For a few moments she could still hear Nemuri groaning about having to go back to unpacking, but it faded as they got further from her door.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Hina hesitantly stepped inside of the Development Studio, hearing sounds from within but not immediately spotting anyone inside. Obviously there wouldn't be any students here on the weekend, but Power Loader should be around here somewhere...

Passing by tables piled high with various equipments in many different stages of being constructed, she eventually made her way to the back, where she spotted Power Loader's large metal mech-like helmet moving around as he worked. She wandered further in, wincing at the sound of metal scratching metal repeatedly.

"Power Loader?" She called, and the orange-haired man looked up.

"Oh, Scarlet Seer. Come on in." He gestured for her to approach, before going back to whatever he was doing. "I was just finishing up this piece for one of the students' costumes."

"Who's it for?" She inquired, trying to discern it for herself but unable to with the state the metal plate was in.

"One of the third years. They cracked their armor plate doing a patrol for Fourth Kind's agency. They asked it we had a stronger material to make it out of. Luckily I had a spare sheet of titanium lying around." He explained, rounding off the edge of the plate with a metal file.

"Ah, I see." She said, nodding along as she watched him work at it for a few more seconds.

Satisfied with the work, he set the file down and examined the end result. Tilting this way and that, brushing away at the edges to clear it of any metal shavings left over, then back around to the backside, before nodding and setting it on the table.

"You're here for your costumes, I presume."

"Mhmm. You said they were ready?" She asked, and he waved her to follow him towards a small door in the back of the studio, where the fabric materials were stored and worked on.

"Yes, I got them back from the support company last night. They still had your original specifications on file, so it made the process pretty quick." He said, leading them inside. There were several tables with sewing machines and needles and threads. It was much smaller than the front, metal-working section of the department, as Hina doubted they had too many request for fabric alterations versus mechanical ones.

Lining the back wall was a large closet, and Power Loader pulled the door aside. He looked through the cases before grabbing one marked with the number 15, her staff ID designation. "Thought you might want to take a look before we closed out the request, in case any alterations need to be made."

They went over to the closest table and he sat the case down, clicking it open to reveal her costume neatly folded on top. Lifting it from the collar, she stepped back and allowed it all to unfold.

"Oh, wow..." She muttered, eyeing the new design with satisfaction. The colors had remained the same; a primary silver, with accents of red and gold. However, whoever had taken up her request to redesign the pattern had done a wonderful job.

The top portion of her body suit was the still the signature silver, reaching all the way down to her knees before tapering off into a deep red that bespoke her namesake. The boots had been changed from black to the same cherry red as the costume, blending in together nicely. The Mandarin-style collar remained the same, but it was now the only gold left on the costume. Her accents were gone, but instead, the colors flowed seamlessly and had a modern look to it that her old costume had lacked.

"They used a new material for the suit. It's a polyester-spandex blend with temperature regulating qualities and maximized for comfort and stretch." He explained, and she rubbed the fabric between her fingers, noticing how comfortable it felt. "In hot temperatures, it should still be breathable, but retain your body heat when in colder environments."

He reached for the paper stuck on the inside and read through the specifics left by the manufacturer. "They also improved the soles of the boots, to provide better comfort and durability. Added on were the fingerless gloves you requested and a tactical belt attached via clip rather than built into the suit."

All of her requests and observations from the old design had been worked on and noted, as expected. They didn't leave a single thing out. As always, she was impressed with the support companies and how the littlest things could drastically effect the way she performed as a pro. Incredible.

"It looks great." She said in awe, flipping it around to see the back. She attempted to fold it somewhat back as it had been, then turned to Power Loader. He gestured to the corner, where a small curtain was tucked aside.

"If you'd like, you can try them on. Just to make sure the measurements are correct."

She nodded, taking the second costume he handed to her with a smile. Dragging the curtain aside to give herself privacy, she set the costumes on the small shelf provided and began taking off her clothing. She heard Power Loader leave the room, not wanting to make her uncomfortable by standing there and listening to her change. She appreciated the small gesture.

A few tugs and nitpicks here and there, and Hina was staring at the new Scarlet Seer in the mirror inside. She adjusted the gloves, getting used to the feeling of them. She wanted something to provide more grip when scaling buildings or fighting, and the ones they'd devised were perfect. The fingerless trait would allow her more mobility and fine motor usage of her hands.

Turning this way and that, she smoothed her hands over the fabric, reveling in how it didn't feel tight or uncomfortable in any given place. The measurements were just right. Everything felt lightweight and breathable. No movement was restricted. Perfect.

Clipping on the black belt and letting it settle on her waist, she stared at the complete picture, amazed at how...capable she appeared to be. Capable and strong. And what Hina realized was that a certain confidence had taken up residence in her expression that had never been there before. The last time she was fitted for a hero costume, she'd felt overwhelmed and unsure. But now...it felt right at home.

She quickly undressed and put on the second suit, which was completely different and a special request to the support company. At first she hadn't thought they'd fill it-she'd never heard of a hero having two different suits before-but her worries were unfounded and she smiled as she zipped up the second costume.

It was black where the silver would have been, and darker shades of gray replaced the deep red. Her red boots were also switched out for some black ones. This suit was designed for stealth, or missions that would benefit from blending into the darkness. Late night patrols would be much easier with this costume, rather than the bright silver that stood out in the light. She'd be lying if she said that Eraserhead hadn't been a major source of inspiration for most of the features.

Hina flipped up the small hood that was built into it, covering her very blatant red hair. She looked very different, but in a good way. The gloves and belt were clipped on and in the darkness, she'd blend in with almost anything. Villains would have a hard time spotting her now.

The redhead stared at her reflection, wondering to herself where she would have been if she'd never have gained her newfound confidence. Just putting on these new suits had an effect she hadn't thought possible. Something just seemed to click into place, that Hina was a pro hero. The proof was right in front of her, staring her in the face. She had always been a pro, despite losing sight of that for several years.

The woman in front of her would protect herself, and those she loved, with everything she had. This woman would face anything that came at her, dangerous or otherwise, without running away and expecting someone else to do it for her. The pathetic excuses for her weakness were long behind her. And from here forward, Hina knew that it was nigh time she fully step into the title and stopped feeling sorry for herself. Shouta was right. She'd always been a hero.

She was Scarlet Seer, the Mind Jack Pro Hero, and a teacher of UA Academy. And not even her brother could take that away.

* * *

A/N- Please leave a review letting me know what you thought of the chapter or the story so far. Let me know how I can improve! :)


	26. Chapter 26

A/N- I'm back, my lovelies. My little break was longer than anticipated, as I went through a period of about a week where I wanted to make changes to this chapter's outline but I wasn't sure what to do with it. I now know what I want to do, and it will involve adding a few more chapter between this one and the next one I'd originally had planned. Good news for you. ;)

_**There is a poll on my profile, which I would appreciate if you participated in. I've been debating switching my review responses to the PM reply system, but I've always just followed up on the following chapter. Which way do you prefer. Would you rather I switch to replying through PM or stick to my current way of replying in the next chapter? Please let me know, thank you!**_

**AnimeFan4Eternity-** Oh you know he'll like them~. Perhaps a little too much? I'm almost certainly going to write a drunk party with Hina and the gang, though I'm not sure if it'll make this story's cut, lol. Perhaps in a one-shot compilation if anything. :)

**Rynxenvy-** She's definitely made leaps and bounds of progress since the beginning of the story! I'm very proud of her, as weird as that may sound considering I'm the one writing her. I'm just...super happy for my story child, you know? :P

**RulerOfCats-** I'm very glad you think so! :D

**Leoki-** I suppose it is the beginning of a new arc in a sense! The New Hina Arc. :P

**dragontamer64-** Ooh, hearing you say she fits in so well is a super compliment, thank you so much! I've tried to keep her out of the spotlight while also giving her space within the main storyline, so thank you for that validation of my hard work! :D

**Ashler-** You think Hina is likeable? Great! With her lack of confidence I was a little worried about her reception, but it's good to see she is well received, it seems. :) Mature romance is my weakness, yo. Glad you're liking it too. ;)

**hhhsmh1225-** Thank you, thank you! I'm so happy you think so! :D

Onwards!

* * *

Hina's eyes glanced around the room of students for several moments after the beginning bell had rung. All 20 in place, no empty seats. For the most part, they all looked as normal, and for a moment it was as if the past week had never even happened. She'd never been more thankful of such a thing.

"Hmm, I feel like it's been...awhile since we've all been able to gather in a class setting." She said suddenly, giving them all a warm smile. "I hope I'm not the only one who is happy to be back here together."

Several quiet nods and smiles responded, and her smile lifted even more. She clasped her hands behind her back and tilted her head. "I suppose I should ask how you've all acclimated to your new dorms. Exciting, I hope?"

"They're great!" Ashido cried out, arms spread up above her head. "My closet is huge!"

Yaoyorozu smiled apologetically. "Actually...I'm used to a much bigger room. But I think it'll be a good experience for me! And it offers a nice quiet place to study."

"Hanging out with everyone is a lot easier now, though." Kirishima grinned, arms crossed. "It's awesome!"

Several positive replies followed suit, all for varying reasons. Hina was relieved to hear them all in high spirits. Well...everyone but one person. She spared a hasty glance at Bakugou, who leaned forward on his crossed arms on his desk. His stare was fixed on the chalkboard behind her, not bothering to partake in the conversation with the others. It wasn't entirely out of place behavior for the grouchy boy, but considering what he'd been through just recently...

_I should keep an eye on him,_ she thought to herself.

"You got a new suit, didn't you, Hitagawa Sensei?" Hagakure questioned rather obviously. Her sleeves moved as if she'd clutched her hands together. "It looks beautiful!"

"Thank you." She said, looking down at her upgraded suit with pride. "I figured it was time for an upgrade."

Clapping her hands together, she turned and went to stand behind her podium, addressing the class. "Now then, while I'd love to chat about how you've all been a bit longer, we do have a lesson to get to. So, please take out your notebooks and prepare to write some information down. Today's topic is very important."

Hina grabbed the bottom of her projector and pulled it until it was left hanging, the sound of shuffling papers and pencils behind her. She went to her laptop on her podium and pulled up the powerpoint she'd put together, holding the clicker she'd need to go through each page. Once finished, she turned again and faced the class.

"In light of the recent catastrophes you've all been very closely associated to, I thought it prudent to begin discussing the importance of counseling and therapy." She said, going over and turning off one light so they could more easily see the front projections. "And it may be surprising to hear, but counseling is actually a very integral part of being a hero."

A sharp scoff made her look to Bakugou in the front row.

"Therapy? Really?" He scowled. "I'm not gonna sit down and talk about my feelings every time I rescue someone." He remarked cuttingly.

Hina offered him a patient smile. "Of course not. I wouldn't expect you to. It would make more sense to visit with one if you found yourself somehow _unable_ to rescue the civilian, don't you think?"

The mere suggestion of such a thing left them all stunned, but she wanted her message to come across very clearly. It wouldn't do to lie to them and have them unprepared for the profession they were all training for. "We are all human and mistakes can happen. Maybe you don't quite make it in time to save a hostage, or someone becomes injured in the crossfire. Perhaps you experience a trauma, a harrowing situation, or find yourself skirting the edge of death.

"Heroes constantly put themselves in situations of great danger," she went on to explain, eyeing each of them carefully to gauge how her words were affecting them, "and any number of things can go wrong that you may not expect. A miscalculation. A defeat. A loss. Whether it's your fault or not, it is something you will be expected to handle and confront."

The class went quiet, the realization that, they too, would have to face such a circumstance one day. She watched as Bakugou's eyes narrowed, and he quickly looked away from her. Her own squinted imperceptibly, concerned by his reaction. With everything he'd been through recently, she wanted to pay close attention to him in particular.

"...even someone like All Might?" Mineta asked warily, raising his hand a little.

"I can't speak for all of the top heroes," Hina answered, "but yes. Even they attend private therapy sessions to work through the experiences they face while on the job. It is nothing shameful or surprising. Saying that being a pro hero is difficult would be a gross understatement, and to be at their best, they must continuously work through those hardships."

With a click of her remote, the screen shifted to show an older picture of female hero, wearing what was very close to a ninja-inspired costume. "Do any of you recognize this hero?" She asked, eyes scanning the students in the class.

Even Midoriya, who she wouldn't have been half surprised if he did know the answer, didn't raise his hand. All she saw was unfamiliarity and shaking heads. Nodding, she clicked again and the pro's name appeared under her.

"Her name was Whisper, an American pro hero with a noise-cancelling quirk. Her specialty was hostage rescue and infiltration into dangerous and unpredictable situations." Hina went on. "She was very successful in her time. Though the American ranking system is a bit different from ours here, she frequently neared the top ten rankings during her active time period. Her skills were highly sought after all over the country, and she had many fans."

"What happened to her?" Ojiro asked. "If she was so great, why haven't we heard of her?"

"A good question. One I will answer in a moment." The redhead said calmly, clicking the slide to go on to the next one. "How about him. Anyone ever seen him before?"

Another hero, this one a more recently taken photo, lit up the projector. A heavily-muscled man with a stern expression. Again, more shakes of their head. "This is Broadsteel, a Russian hero. Highly successful in his career, with a very similar ability of hardening and strengthening, Kirishima." Hina nodded to the boy, who grinned.

Another click, and another hero. "How about this one?"

"That's-" Midoriya spoke up, then stopped, looking a little uncomfortable. "That's Mach Man..."

"Mach Man? I've never heard of him." Sato said in confusion, looking at the screen closer as if that would give him an answer.

Hina glanced around, but didn't see any other recognition in the room. She looked back at the green-haired boy. "Midoriya, would you kindly explain to the class?"

He swallowed. "Umm...he was a super-speed hero from northern Japan. He was really good at rescues and started becoming sort of popular up there, but..."

He hesitated, and she prompted him to continue with a nod.

"...they don't talk about him anymore, since he sort of...went crazy."

"Crazy? How?" Asui asked, her head cocked in confusion.

Hina clicked her remote, and a news article showed up on the screen. "Mach Man, while in the middle of a rescue, fatally injured a young child while engaged in his super speed. The child suffered immense head trauma from the tremors and vibrations of his body, and died the following day. He was 2 years old."

She sighed, shaking her head. "It was an honest mistake. He had no intention of causing harm to the small boy, but once he was made aware of it, he had to be taken into custody by law enforcement. He was hysterical and unconsolable, and was considered a danger to himself and the general public. He's been a resident of a mental health hospital for 12 years now."

Another click, and the screen flipped back to the picture of Broadsteel, another article also accompanying it. "Broadsteel was renowned throughout his country as the strongest man alive. He was talked about even internationally. But one day, he encountered another hero who bested him in a test of strength. It was a friendly competition, nothing sinister. But for some reason, he couldn't handle the sudden realization that he was not the strongest person alive."

She clicked it again, and a second article was shown. "While it may sound trivial to you, they believe that this self-identity crisis caused a sudden addiction to steroid substances and unhealthy boosting practices. He was determined to regain his title and keep hold of what he'd grown accustomed to being. It eventually killed him."

One more click, and Whisper appeared on the screen again.

"Whisper's situation was more drawn out than the others." Hina said sadly, staring up at the woman's smiling picture from her news article. "After years of success, she experienced a large defeat. The villain she'd been tracking for some time managed to kill all his hostages and escape arrest.

"After that, a few more similar things occurred-an infiltration mission was botches, and members of her team were killed, hostages were again killed before she could assist-and she was suddenly stuck in a string of terrible losses in her career. Looking back, the circumstances of these defeats were dire. Any hero could have made the same decisions she had, but Whisper couldn't handle the sudden downturn in her job performance."

The redhead turned back to the class. "They discovered her in her apartment a few days later. She had taken her own life after being unable to cope with her various failures."

Another click, and the screen went blank. For several seconds, she let the silence persist as the students took in what she'd told them. Some had faraway stares, imagining such horrible things that had happened to these people. Some looked visibly sad, or were still writing down the information.

"I'm not telling you all these stories in order to scare you, or depress you. I simply want you to understand what might have changed their outcomes. There is one thing that all of these heroes had in common." She stated. "None of them attended counseling sessions during their careers to help relieve themselves of these internal struggles. None of them had been taught or sought out the skills necessary to work through and confront these feelings. Instead, they let these negative experiences fester and grow."

"Can counseling really do that much for you?" Shoji asked with some doubt, and Hina nodded.

"Absolutely. Sometimes, even the simple act of talking about it can help. But professional counselors and therapists know the techniques that help you through your traumas. That's what they are trained for, and there are professionals hired specifically to handle pro hero clients."

She saw several of the students nod in understanding, though some doubt still remained in their expressions. It wasn't much of a surprise, really.

"It may not make the most sense until the first time you experience that moment of defeat or failure. But keep what I say in mind. Physical attacks will leave wounds, but they heal with time. Emotional scars don't go away on their own. They are entirely more difficult to erase and require you to face what has happened to you. Don't see it as a sign of weakness to receive help from someone else."

* * *

Waiting for her tea to heat, Hina leaned against the counter in the teacher's lounge during her lunch hour. It had been a long day thus far, and the day wasn't even over yet. She still had three classes left to teach. Obviously the course material for today's lesson wasn't of the upbeat nature, but she hadn't anticipated it dragging her own morale down so much as well. It was honestly exhausting.

Staring down at her cup, she didn't realize Cementoss had entered the room until he stepped up beside her. She startled with a gasp, flinching away from him.

"I didn't mean to scare you." The cement hero said evenly, and she quickly shook her head.

"No, no...I was lost in thought was all. My tea is probably done by now anyway." She grabbed for the kettle and poured herself a cup, taking it with her to the couch to sit. "How are you, Cementoss? It's been awhile since I've last gotten to talk to you."

"I'm well, thank you." He responded, pulling his lunch from the fridge and joining her on the couch opposite to converse. "Certainly better now that school is back in session. Coming back to classes is a welcome change to staying at home. I enjoy the routine of the school day."

Hina smiled, agreeing. "There's something comforting about being surrounded by the students, too. Like everything is back to the way things were."

"Yes...though not everything is as it was." He said, eyeing her evenly. "You've changed a bit, if you don't mind me saying."

"I have?" She quirked a brow, taking a sip of her tea. "I mean...my costume is different-"

"Obviously, but your demeanor too. The way you carry yourself is that of...esteem." He eventually settled on. "I remember you always being particularly shy, as if you tried to take up as little space in the room as possible. Now...you appear more comfortable."

"All that from getting my tea and sitting down, huh?" She chuckled, recognizing her own feelings when she'd tried on her new suit for the first time.

"They do say I'm a perceptive man." Cementoss quipped, and she almost couldn't tell if he was joking or not. She shook her head a moment, thinking about how to respond.

"I feel like Kamino changed all of us a bit." She said, looking out the window as if she'd be able to see the destruction from here. Thankfully, they were miles away and the many nearby buildings blocked any view they'd otherwise have. "But...I'm beginning to like the person it's making me into. I feel...more capable than before."

"Of course." He nodded thoughtfully after eating some of his lunch. "Though, I always thought you had a unique strength to you, Scarlet Seer."

She looked back to him and smiled warmly, thankful for her dear coworkers. "Thank you. You're as eloquent as always, Cementoss."

They enjoyed the rest of their lunch break together, talking about the most recent book he'd picked up, sipping tea and eating together pleasantly.

* * *

The rooftops of Musutafu were quiet that night and Hina felt the wind whipping at her back as she crouched on the edge of one particular building, looking down on the streets below. The edge of the main street were still quite populated, evening-goers wandering from shop to restaurant and to the entertainment hubs in this part of the city. Most looked to be having a fun time, and their thoughts echoed very similar sentiments.

Donning her new black suit, Hina was practically invisible this high up. Should anyone look up, the backdrop of stars and dark sky behind her would mask her silhouette fairly well. They'd probably really have to be paying attention in order to spot her from this distance.

She tugged at the hood around her head, still getting used to having it there. It felt like it would constantly fall off if she turned her head too quickly, but it stayed in place thus far without problem. The gloves on her hands were a new sensation too, though after wearing them throughout the day for classes, it had definitely slipped her mind.

Not seeing anything of interest below, she jumped to the next building and tried to find another vantage point on a new location, looking for anything that might be wrong. Part of her kept an eye out for any other heroes nearby, one in particular, actually.

She'd been a little disappointed at not having seen Shouta at all that day. Predictably, he'd been rather busy on the first day of classes since the short yet unprecedented break away. They all had to adjust lesson plans and course materials now due to the time away. Other than Cementoss, she'd not met with any other teacher, all of them preoccupied with getting everything back in order.

_I suppose I'll see him later tonight. He is my neighbor now, after all._

The thought was still strange to wonder about.

Satisfied with a new vantage point on an air conditioning unit of a multiple-story office building, Hina sat atop it comfortably, watching and waiting for something to happen. Anything, really. All these calm nights of patrol were getting a little stale. Placing her chin in her hand, she sighed and settled in for a wait.

She activated her quirk, gazing down at the people walking the streets, deciding to pick one at random to-

Something coiled around her waist and yanked her backwards. She let out a shocked cry but, her instincts clicking into action, she managed to land on her feet as they slid against the roof from the force of whatever was pulling her. Someone came up behind her quickly. Fast. Quiet. Closing in-

Her leg came up behind her, kicking back whoever was approaching fast, irritated when they held fast. Having been completely caught off guard like this? This person knew what they were doing, alright. The darkness made it difficult to see and, having just been looking down at the sidewalk lamps and lights of the street, her eyes weren't fully adjusted yet.

They made a lunge forward and she kicked out again, hoping to keep them at a distance to utilize her quirk. A hand grabbed her ankle, pulling her close and off balance again.

She fell to the ground, then rolled out of the way of another coil of...fabric...

Fabric?

Wait- Her head jerked around, spotting red eyes behind yellow goggles and that familiar capture weapon aimed straight at her. Jumping out of the way, she held up her hands in a placating gesture.

"Shou-?"

Her question was cut off by his lunge towards her, knocking her on her back to the office's roof again. She grunted, hitting hard, the wind knocked out of her momentarily. Her hands were locked against her side, wrapped up in the capture weapon that had bound them with her waist. She couldn't move, and in her disorientation, she hadn't even noticed when that had all happened.

Hina coughed, shaking her head as she felt him kneel on her stomach. "Seriously? What the hell..."

"Identify yourself." Was his cold, blunt statement. A sever expression marked his face.

"Shouta, stop, it's me!" She said, still struggling to breathe a little. She felt him pause, staring down at her perplexingly, then sudden realization prompted him out of it. He reached down and pulled away at the hood, revealing her signature red hair tied up in a messy bun and her confused expression.

"Hina?" He questioned, finally moving his knee to kneel at either side of her hips so she could breathe normally. The goggles were lifted to reveal his eyes, which had gone back to normal. However, he didn't immediately let her go yet.

"Jeez, what a way to say hello..." She muttered with a chuckle, panting and stealing air now that her lungs were unhindered. "What's with the violent greeting?"

"I didn't recognize you. Since you didn't look like any hero I've seen before, I figured you were staking out for a crime. Sorry..." He said, eyes glancing down at what she was wearing. Perhaps without thinking, he reached down and took hold of the edge of her collar's fabric. "What happened to the red?"

"My suit was redesigned, but I still have a red version for the day to day." She said, watching him take in the sight of her new hero costume. The way he was still sitting on her waist, and the fact that her arms were still wrapped to her side, was doing funny things to her breathing. Damn her if this wasn't more than one of her more provocative dreams over the past few months..."This one is for when I do night patrols. I blend in a lot better with the darkness this way."

"Yes, you do..." He muttered, eyes trailing down her body with a little uptilt of his mouth.

"I like how it turned out..." She added with a swallow, eyes still fixated on the way he was staring her so intently. "...what do you think?"

He didn't immediately answer, gaze flicking up to her face before returning to the contours of her body. The fingers at her collar softly trailed down the valley between her breasts-the ghosting touch made her shiver-then sideways below the dip of her breasts and down her side to rest at her waist.

"Black is a good color on you." Was all he said, voice quiet and appreciative. "Can't help but wonder where the inspiration came from, though..."

"Hmph. Wouldn't you like to know." She breathed with a grin, glancing down at his lips expectantly.

He let out a huff, amused at her obvious attempt at goading him in for a kiss. She was honestly loving the feeling of his weight on her. Part of her had wondered how he'd react upon seeing her new costume for the first time, and truthfully she'd hoped it would go a little something like this.

If she had the leverage, she'd just lean up and steal a kiss for herself. Her logical-minded boyfriend had always struck her as the type who took his patrols very seriously-no doubt that included a hands-off philosophy while on the job-and she'd toyed around with the thought of seeing how far she could push his buttons before he cracked. His eyes even trailed down her neck, as if contemplating doing something about her thinly-veiled challenge, but she was sorely disappointed as he lifted himself off her body. The capture weapon unwrapped from around her waist, releasing her hands at the same time.

Grabbing his offered hand to help her up, she stood straight and brushed herself off, flipping the hood back over her head to cover her now messy bun. She tried her best to ignore the pounding heart, since it seemed he was back to business again and all about patrol. Damn...

"Anything so far?"

Hina sighed out a breath, crossing her arms and looking down the street below. "No, nothing. I almost had to swoop in and help a little old lady cross a busy street but another civilian ran up before I could help."

He nodded, setting his goggles back into place as he stepped beside her to observed the city too. "I've had similar luck. Everything is quiet across the city tonight."

"Well, then. What say we join up tonight to ease the boredom?" She asked, gently bumping her hip into his. "I enjoy our patrols together."

"As much as I'd like the company," He said, clearing his throat, "you'd honestly just be a distraction to me, right now."

Despite being unable to see his eyes in the darkness, especially behind those yellow goggles of his, Hina had a feeling he was giving a bit of side-eye at the moment too. Taken out of context, the words themselves sounded a bit insulting, but she knew he meant them in a completely different way. An indirect compliment to her and her...physique. Her smile widened as she laughed, and she sauntered to plant herself directly in front of him, her back to the city.

"A _distraction,_ huh? But wait a minute..." She said, arms wrapping themselves around his neck before he could back away or try to escape. His hands came up to her waist to either steady her or prepare to push her away, but she felt no resistance from him. Hina wasn't entirely sure where all this seductive confidence was coming from-maybe the suit, maybe the feeling of being someone new, she wasn't sure-but she wasn't going to lie. She enjoyed seeing the erasure hero off his game a little.

The air between them was something new, something heavy and abuzz with pent up desire, which both had been intentionally staving away from for the sake of taking things slow between them. Hina was bringing it to the forefront, testing the waters to see how they both felt about it. She had no intention of having sex with him on this rooftop, out in the open, but she sure didn't mind toeing the line to see how it would feel. A taste of what the real thing could be.

"...one little black suit and suddenly you can't do your job, Eraserhead?" She breathed lowly, reaching up to pull his goggles back down around his neck. His eyes were heady and fixated solely on her. Hina felt his fingers tighten on her waist. Their lips were mere inches apart, their breathing quickened. "I fail to see the logic in that."

It was impossible to tell who exactly had leaned forward first to close the distance between them-she didn't really care in the long run, honestly-but both eagerly reciprocated their lip lock. His fingers held her tightly to his body, both to keep her from stepping back too far and falling off the building, and to deepen the kiss. The urgency of it all was exciting, electric.

Turns out it was easier than she thought to make her man of reason crack from the pressure, and she loved every second of it.

The hands planted on her waist began gliding upwards, feeling their way up with a pace that didn't match their feverish kiss at all. His thumbs brushed the edges of her breasts, leaving her shivering in place and tingles in the small of her back. Even through the fabric of the suit, she could feel every gentle pass of his fingers on her skin.

His kisses began to wander, trailing down her jaw and underneath. She gasped, feeling a sharp nip against the skin of her neck, softened by an open-mouthed kiss. The attention to her neck was a satisfying mix of abuse and tenderness, harsher bites and the drag of his teeth always followed up by his gentle lips and warm tongue to ease any sting of pain. The added scratch of his facial hair only did good things to her messy emotions.

Her fingers carded back through his hair, and he let out a quiet groan against her skin. Barely audible, but there nonetheless. Hina enjoyed the sound more than she probably should, and by god, she wondered what he would sound like with no clothes on and in the privacy of their apartments.

The longer this went on, the further down the gutter her thoughts went. An ache settled between her thighs, and her toes curled in her boots. Her lack of awareness was akin to being drunk, and just as with a large amount of alcohol in her system, she found her quirk beginning to activate of it's own accord.

Breath panting out in no apparent rhythm, Hina's mind conjured images of them tangled in the sheets of her bedroom, the sounds emitting from them of the mature nature. She couldn't help but imagine his larger frame completely smothering her from above as they moved-

_"Hina."_ Shouta groaned low, stopping entirely and laying his forehead in the crook of her neck. His hands planted themselves on her shoulders, out of reach of anything tempting, just in case. If they both had any hope of sticking to their respective decision, she needed to stop now. "You're projecting..."

"S-sorry." She gasped out, desperately trying to reign in her imagination and deactivating her quirk. Her eyes faded from their bright cyan to her normal brown. For several seconds she simply stood there, trying to catch her breath and steady the beating of her heart. She hadn't anticipated her mind deviating so much, and allowing her thoughts to drift to such a place so quickly...

The wind helped to cool her skin. Shouta straightened up, looking down at her with a mixture of restraint and measured desire. He wanted to keep going, but knew they shouldn't. At this rate, they'd do something neither really wanted to do right now.

"Maybe we should patrol separately, after all." She finally said, and he could only huff out a laugh, his head shaking.

* * *

A/N- Please take a second to take my poll, as to how reviews should be replied to. It'll really help me out! And, of course, a review would too! ;)


	27. Chapter 27

A/N- I'm back! (Hopefully for awhile.) Apologies for the long delay in posting, but we all know that things aren't totally normal right now. Anyways, seems like you guys prefer me replying through the next chapter thing like I've been doing up until now, so I'll continue on with it as usual. So glad to be back into it! Thanks for being so patient with me! :)

**Rynxenvy-** Haha, I can imagine. Do you think they're ready for the next step? I'm curious...

**musiome-** Yay, One Piece! You seem two enjoy my two favorite anime ever, so you are automatically my friend now. No take-backs. You're stuck with it. And thank you! I appreciate your kind words! :D

**BlackBirdInTheNight-** Well, hopefully the lack of sleep was worth it, lol. Thank you! He's a toughie to write for, but I'm glad the general consensus is that he's in-character. Well, here you go! An update!

**Guest-** Thank you!

**AnimeFan4Eternity-** Hey if it were me in their position, I ain't having my first time on the roof in the cold. No way. In a bed or not at all, thank you. :P Cementoss does not get enough love. He is a doll.

**JustAGirlWhoLovesToRead-** I ship them so much, but I suppose I must because I'm writing them, lol. Glad you're enjoying their story! :)

**Guest- **I'm so the opposite. Generally I don't read a story unless it is OC, so that's wild to me! But thanks for giving my stuff a shot!

**Neko Hoshi Hime Okami-** Thanks so much! I appreciate the review! I'm glad you can relate to Hina. :)

Onwards!

* * *

Hina's feelings on the annual staff party had always been a bit...mixed. On one hand, she enjoyed the atmosphere and getting an opportunity to spend time with her fellow teachers in a non-work environment. Pros were very busy people and often didn't have time to spend hanging out or just relax. On the other...well, she really wasn't that great with socializing in large gatherings like this. Not that she was introverted or shy with crowds, but when the attendees were all capable pro heroes, most often sporting renowned reputations, she'd always felt very out of place among them. The stain of Daichi's villainy had always weighed on her shoulders.

Now, however, she strode into the banquet hall with much less trepidation than she recalled feeling the year previously. Her heeled feet carried her through the main entrance confidently, and the redhead gave a pleasant nod to the bouncer at the door. He tipped his hat cordially, turning his attention back to the sidewalk to wait for the next person to approach.

Inside, teachers from all over the district were in attendance, forgoing their hero costumes in favor of formal attire a little more appropriate the occasion. Hina felt a little plain in comparison to several of the ladies gathered near the entrance; many donned sparkling or shimmering gowns of floor and knee length. Visions of burnt orange and gold and purple, dotting the hall in between the suited men. The women certainly knew how to stand out from a crowd, that was for sure.

The simple black dress effectively made her blend in with a majority of the crowd, save for her trademark red hair, and so she stepped further inside the establishment without much fanfare or turning of heads. Well, that was alright. She wasn't looking for that sort of attention to herself.

On her way to one of the open tables to find a seat, she caught a glance of straw-colored hair. Changing direction, the telepath found the symbol of peace trying his best to extract himself from what appeared to be a lengthy conversation with another pro. The man in particular was fairly young in comparison to the other teachers here, and was enthusiastically asking a multitude of questions one right after the other.

"...learned everything I knew from you! It's what prompted me to become a teacher. Say, what made you want to be a hero in the first place? Were you saved by a pro like me? Or maybe you just grew up watching all the amazing things they did to help the public?" The man barely took a breath between sentences.

Acting as if she had just stumbled across the two of them, Hina approached the pair and placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Oh, Toshinori! I didn't expect to see you here."

"Eh?" Toshinori glanced over, noticing her for the first time as the other teacher paused in his questions. Recognition dawned in his eyes, and perhaps a hint of relief. "Oh, Scarlet Seer! I'm very happy to see you."

He gestured to the younger man, if only to be polite. "This is Gentleman Gray, a teacher at Ketsubutsu Academy. Gentleman Gray, this is Scarlet Seer, one of my colleagues."

"Very nice to meet you." Hina said with a smile and tilt of her head.

"Oh, you as well." Gray replied, not quite as enthusiastic as before, but still reasonably enough to pass as polite.

Hina turned back to All Might.

"I'm so sorry to intrude on your conversation here," she went on, gesturing between the two men, "but there were some things I didn't get to discuss with you last time we saw each other that are very important..."

She tried her best to look as apologetic as possible, wincing a little at the younger man, who smiled sheepishly and put out his hands in understanding.

"Sorry, I'll leave you two to talk. All Might, I'll be seeing you around hopefully!" He took a step back and weaved his way away through the crowd, leaving the two UA teachers alone.

Toshinori let out a deep sigh, eyes closing. "He's been talking my ear off for ten minutes now...He's nice enough and very passionate, but I didn't come here to sign autographs or anything."

She chuckled. "I noticed."

He turned to her. "Now was there something you wanted to ask me? You mentioned something important."

"Oh, no. I just needed to come up with an excuse to get him to leave." Hina replied flippantly with a wave of her hand.

"Hah!" Toshinori let out an amused bark, but he covered his mouth in time with a handkerchief before any of the blood accompanying it could get on her dress by accident. "A clever trick! Very clever. And much appreciated."

Now that the young man had left, Hina noticed Toshinori's suit was, for once, form-fitting. She'd gotten so used to seeing him in baggy clothing that could accommodate his large muscled form. It hadn't even occurred to her that since he no longer had the use of his quirk, he had no need to wear clothing too big for him.

Careful not to let her inner revelation show through, Hina smiled and regarded him happily. "How are you, Toshinori? It feels like forever since we've last talked."

"I'm just fine, though still getting used to being retired." He said with a shrug. "Somehow it didn't occur to me just how much free time I'd have after putting away the costume. I've started to jog and exercise a little just to pass the time between teaching."

"Sounds like you need to get yourself a hobby." She remarked, and he nodded his agreement.

"Yes, though I can't really see myself taking up anything in particular. I've never really thought about other interests besides hero work."

Hina tilted her head, peering at him thoughtfully.

"What is it?" He asks, noticing her change in demeanor. She only shakes her head.

"Just trying to figure out what hobby would suit you..." After a few seconds, she snapped her fingers and raised her eyebrows. "Painting! I think you'd make a great painter."

"Really?" He questioned, chuckling to himself. "I'm no artist. Any drawing of mine could attest to that."

"Oh, I'm sure it can't be that difficult to learn how." Hina said, glad he was beginning to relax. Hopefully his earlier discussion with his fan was beginning to fade and he was enjoying himself at the party. "There has to be some community-taught painting lessons around here somewhere. We can both sign up for a few, if it makes you feel better. Or we could even talk to Nemuri about it."

"Perhaps...I'll let you know if I'd like to sometime." He said, smiling but obviously not really keen on the idea. Hina didn't push the issue any further.

"Well, let me know what you eventually decide to do. And I'd best find Nemuri before she thinks I didn't show up."

"Are you meeting up?" He asked, and she winced.

"We didn't plan on it specifically, but she would probably have my head if I skipped this year. Anyway...Enjoy the party." She said, pushing off the wall.

"You do the same." He said. Then, always the gentleman, added. "You look very beautiful tonight, Scarlet Seer."

"Thank you." She responded, smiling widely at the compliment before stalking off to maybe find something to do or someone she knew to converse with.

The banquet hall was packed. There were many more teachers here than she expected, though her lack of any substantial reputation meant no one stopped her along the way to a table. Good, she didn't really fancy the idea of being caught up in possibly awkward conversations at every turn.

The tables were mostly occupied, very little remaining open seats, though she did spot one or two still open towards the bar. Making her way there, she decided that a drink sounded nice right about now.

Careful not to overdo it like she had her last trip to the bar, she ordered one glass of something not very strong and enjoyed the music as she waited for it to be prepared. It was something modern, but not too intrusive, with very few lyrics that could disrupt the conversations going on around the hall. She'd never heard it before, but found it was pleasant enough.

The bartender placed her drink in front of her, and she thanked him, before turning and watching the room while she sipped at it carefully.

Most of the occupants stood in groups of twos and threes, most likely speaking with people they worked with versus someone new. That was how most of these things went, but there was no helping it, really. She supposed that was why alcohol was always a main feature of these things. Some liquid courage probably helped along the mingling of different schools together to bond and get to know others from the district.

Most of those present she recognized, but some she hadn't ever seen before. Perhaps attending the event for the first time, or new teachers starting this year? Hina suddenly wondered if All Might being there had something to do with the higher-than-usual attendance overall. She supposed it made some sense.

Someone took up residence in the space beside her, and she gave a cursory glance if only to acknowledge their appearance. Unfortunately, she accidentally made eye contact with the man, who was clearly already very drunk. Either he'd pre-gamed before the conference began, or he'd been slamming drinks left and right for twenty minutes straight already.

Hina's eyes skated away, back towards the crowd as if trying to pretend they hadn't just locked eyes, but it was too late. Seeing interest that wasn't there, the man faced her and leaned against the counter of the bar. "If I'da known other school had teachers like you, I'd have transferred long ago...what's your name?"

Oh, god. She'd never really been in this position before, nor had she wanted to be. Hiding the sigh as best she could, Hina gave him a polite smile. "I'm Scarlet Seer. And you are?"

The man whose short, white hair color was clearly artificially dyed that way, tried his best to make some sort of smoldering expression, but failed miserably and just ended up narrowing his eyes at her strangely. "Oh, we're going with our hero names here? Ok, well...I'm the Hero of Courage: Valiant. Protector of the peace in the beautiful Esuha City."

"I see..." Was her awkward reply, not really sure what else to respond with.

"Pray tell, what academy is graced with your employment?" He asked. Hina wondered if he was trying his absolute hardest to sound chivalrous and charming. Unfortunately, it came off as very nonsensical and perhaps a bit forced.

Honestly, he probably wasn't a bad guy. He was just very drunk and in no good condition to be making very good decisions at the moment. Nor, apparently, portray himself in a very good light.

She didn't answer for a second, wondering how she could extract herself from the conversation, but saw no good excuse.

"I work at UA."

"UA? That's quite a place! The best of the best. You must be quiet a smarty to be working there." He smiled, trying to play up his charm and easy-going personality. Didn't quite stick like it should have, though.

"I suppose so." She replies with a shrug, glancing around at the crowd, but he gained her attention again and continued on, no doubt missing her desire to stop talking.

"You know, we really should get to know each other better." He pressed. "Why don't you tell me all about what it is that you teach at the illustrious UA?"

He reached a hand out and his fingers gently traced the end of her elbow, but she pulled it away before he could further trail them up her arm.

"I don't really think that's a good idea, Mr. Valiant..." She said lightly. "I'm sure you're a good person, but I'm not interested in getting to know you when you're this intoxicated."

"I'm not really that drunk...no reason to be like that...I'm a really interesting person, you know." He defended, looking a little hurt. Well, she supposed that was better than him getting angry.

Hina took one last sip from her drink and gave him a smile. "Of course, I'm not saying you aren't, but I'm only here for the teacher's conference. Enjoy your night, Mr. Valiant."

Pushing her now empty glass further into the bar's counter, Hina turned away and began wandering through the crowd. She felt no pursuit from behind her, thankfully, and it seemed that Valiant hadn't gotten any ideas of trying a second time. Putting the whole experience behind her, she simply let the gaps in the crowd dictate where she walked.

"Ladies, Gentleman, if you will please direct your attention this way." A person's voice on the loudspeaker requested, and Hina looked over towards the end of the hall, where a small stage was set up. The wiry man in a smart suit-recognizable to her even from her distance as the director of education in UA's district-stood with a microphone in his hand, waiting for all those present to do as he instructed.

The room took a moment to settle, and conversations died away until only the music was audible. Even then, it was lowered in volume by whoever was in charge of the audio, and he began to speak.

"Thank you all for coming out tonight, we appreciate your dedication to making these events enjoyable." He started off, bowing from the waist at a slight angle. Then straightened. "Given the turbulent climate of this school year, I am pleasantly surprised to see so many of you here."

Hina's eyebrow raised, wondering if that was perhaps only meant at UA specifically, but the neither the crowd nor him seemed to give any indication of acknowledging it that way.

He gestured to the crowd. "The public tends to underestimate just how much dedication it takes to work in this field, to teach the young and nurture them so they can achieve their dreams of becoming heroes. Tonight is a way for the district to give back to you and show our appreciation of all of your hard work. A round of applause for yourselves, please."

A soft thundering of hands clapping together echoed through the hall, and Hina joined in half-heartedly. She'd heard much the same speech the past few years in a row. It was a nice sentiment, but it felt a little stale after hearing it more than once.

The clapping began to die, and the director continued on. "We'll get to the district awards in a moment but, let me just say this. Take tonight to relax, unwind, and meet some new faces. This year we bring on many new faces into our fold, including the former number one hero and very esteemed All Might."

The clapping began anew, with the director gesturing over to the side of the room where the straw-haired man was standing. Hina raised up on the tips of her heels to see over the crowd, barely spotting her colleague in between the heads of people. He nodded, all the while trying to appear grateful for the recognition while being extremely uncomfortable with so much attention suddenly on him.

Perhaps he wasn't too keen on the accolade of 'former number one hero.' Technically, the rankings hadn't yet changed-deliberations and polls were still being conducted in order to accurately adjust the top ten-though it was entirely expected for All Might to no longer hold the top spot. Still, it was obviously a sore spot for the former hero.

"Another thank you to all of our teachers, new and veteran, for your contributions to raising the next generation." The director gave another short bow. "Now, how about we move on to the awards? I'm certainly curious to see who wins District-wide Top Educator this year..."

* * *

After a lengthy and mostly monotonous presentation of awards-none of which Hina won, predictably-the redhead looked around for either Nemuri or anyone else she could recognize. It came as a bit of a surprise that she hadn't yet bumped into Shouta at all, as they'd agreed to meet up at some point during the conference. It was their plan to go to dinner afterwards to unwind by themselves.

Grabbing her phone from the small clutch she'd brought with her, she pulled up his contact in her phone and typed out a quick message.

_'Are you here? There's so many people, it's hard to find anyone I know.'_

"Heeeey! Hinaaa!" A loud and boisterous voice proclaimed beside her, and she looked up just in time to see Hizashi wrap an arm around her shoulders good-naturedly. "I finally found you!"

"You were looking for me?" She asked curiously, putting her phone away and smiling at him.

"Yeah! Shouta couldn't find you and so I'm helping him out."

"Oh, so he's here?" She tried looking around, but didn't spot him anywhere. Hizashi shrugged.

"Yeah, but we split up to cover some ground. Come on, I think he's this way." He stepped back, then, gesturing at her with enthusiasm. "But wow, look at you! Classy and sexy, I like it."

"Thanks, and...are you hitting on me or something?" She questioned, raising a brow teasingly. He frantically waved his hands.

"No way! I think Shouta would seriously suffocate me if I ever even tried it. Plus, redheads aren't really my style, no offense." He replied with a smile, and Hina only laughed.

He lent his elbow to her and she took it, letting him lead her off to wherever her tired boyfriend happened to be.

Hina then noticed just how nicely Hizashi had dressed up for the event. Not to say that the guy didn't have style, but he usually just ended up wearing some variation of his casual radio host fashion. His slacks and buttoned-up dress shirt was not something she'd expected.

"Got a hot date tonight or something? You're pretty dressed up for something like this. I mean, for you, I guess." She asked suddenly, and the blonde man grinned excitedly.

"I guess you could say that..."

"Oh, so one of those 'not dates' you frequent?" She speculated, and he gave a shrug.

"Maybe? Not sure yet. We promised to meet up here and then leave the conference together." He admitted, eyes scanning the crowd as if to look for her. "I never really have expectations for these sorts of things."

"Who is she?" Her curiosity got the better of her.

"She teaches at Shiketsu." Hizashi answered, then paused. He stopped, forcing her to stop walking. "Shit, there she is..."

Hina followed his gaze and noticed a brunette woman wearing a fancy golden dress. She was stunning, just the sort of lady a famous hero and radio host like Hizashi could net with relative ease. Hina recognized her from previous conferences but didn't recall her name. She was speaking to another hero, oblivious to their staring.

Glancing up at her friend, his grin had vanished and he looked...worried. Perhaps this date was of a bit more importance than his usual string of short affairs? It would be something to behold, but a pleasant surprise if it turned out to be the case. Hina had hoped he'd learn to stop being so offhanded about relationships.

"It would probably look bad if she saw you and me together, right?" Hina guessed, knowing that Hizashi's playboy reputation preceded him within the pro community. Having another woman hanging off his arm while he approached his date for the night would probably kick things off to a bad start.

He winced, but nodded. "Sorry...Shouta was by the bar last I saw him if you wanna head that way."

"I'll find him, thanks for letting me know." She said, letting go of his elbow. Then, reaching up to straighten his tie and straighten the edges of his shirt collar, she gave it a pat and then smiled. "Go get 'er, Hizashi."

Looking uncharacteristically nervous for something he'd probably done a thousand times before with a plethora of faceless women, the voice hero nodded and left Hina's side, heading the woman's way.

The redhead weaved her way in the direction Hizashi had indicated, but after reaching the bar, she saw no sign of her elusive partner. She checked her phone but he hadn't responded or even seen the message she'd sent earlier. Chewing her bottom lip, she decided to keep looking, deciding that she had nothing better to do.

To an onlooker she probably appeared to be very lost within the large banquet hall, but she didn't mind, too preoccupied with trying to find Shouta. If only he'd answer his message, then maybe it would save her some time.

Along the way, she found Nezu observing the conference from on top of a table. He was much too small to comfortably fit in one of the seats the room had been furnished with, and opted instead to sit on the edge of the table to stay at a relatively average height to people there. Perhaps sitting on a table wasn't the most polite thing to do, but no one questioned the mouse-bear-dog at all.

Figuring that perhaps he'd seen Shouta somewhere here, she made her way over to him.

"Nezu, have you happened to see Shouta anywhere around here?" She questioned, garnering her employer's attention. "I'm trying to find him but haven't had any luck so far."

"Scarlet Seer, a good evening to you." He bid happily, then nodded. "Yes, I saw him walk that way several minutes ago." He pointed in the direction of the side of the room Hina had yet to search, and she smiled.

"Thank you." She turned away to leave, but his voice stopped her.

"Speaking of Eraserhead, I've been meaning to ask you both how the move into the dorms have been." He said. "I hope you are finding the staff suites comfortable?"

"Yes, they're lovely. It was actually an upgrade to my previous apartment." Hina explained. "I haven't heard any complaints from him either, so I imagine he feels the same."

"I'm very glad to hear it." Nezu intertwined his paws, smiling happily. "And are the two of you planning on submitting an employee fraternization form?"

It took a moment or two for Hina to register the question, her mouth opening to respond but caught up on the words. "I...I'm sorry?"

The principal only closed his eyes, smile never wavering. "I didn't think I'd have to keep reminding you all how observant I am. There've been bits of gossip and rumors around the staff I've picked up on. Your increased attention to each other really solidified my suspicions."

"Right..." She muttered, feeling rather foolish now to ever have thought the principal wasn't aware of her and Shouta's relationship. He was a genius after all, and it was painfully obvious that they all were terrible at remembering it. "I am sorry for not bringing it up sooner. We didn't want to jump the gun."

"It is quite alright. I only hope that should you both feel that your relationship is becoming a bit more permanent that the appropriate paperwork be filed with me." He said, reaching a paw out to set on her shoulder. "I am not against fraternization between the staff so long as it does not interfere with the students' learning."

"It will not." She promised, and he nodded, satisfied.

"Splendid. And you needn't worry about your private activities becoming known to the students in the dorms. Your staff suites were designed to be completely soundproof from the outside."

Hina blinked, the gears in her head coming to a halt. Nezu bid her a goodbye that she didn't register and hopped off the table to head somewhere else. Had he meant what she thought he did? She was left standing there, a mix of mortified, perplexed, and in total awe that the principal had thought that far ahead or had even acted with their relationship in mind.

Deciding that any of the mentioned implications was too much for her at the moment, she brushed herself off and shook her head, walking the direction Nezu had pointed her in.

* * *

A/N- I'm very curious to know if you think that Hina and Shouta's relationship is ready to move to the next level. Is it still too soon? Or have they taken it slow long enough? Is that sort of content something you want me to include in the story, or just skipped over? Not sure what it is you would prefer. Please let me know!

As usual, if you enjoyed then follow, favorite, and leave a review! I love hearing your feedback on chapters.


	28. Chapter 28

A/N- Hello again! Sorry for the long delay between updates! Life, ya know. Yada yada yada. Anyway, because of the large number of reviews, replies will be at the end of the chapter. :) Thank you all for supporting me so much with this story! I'm so glad you're loving it.

Onwards!

* * *

After the rewards show had ended, many of the teachers had slowly begun to trickle out, heading home now that the main event for the night had finished up. This made Hina's search for her partner all the easier, and after a handful of minutes she finally came upon the man she'd been looking for this whole time. Hina smiled, eyes roaming his figure.

His hair was up in that half bun, the rest allowed to flow as it normally did down his neck. On top of his white dress shirt was a matte gray vest, matched remarkably with his eyes, she couldn't help but wonder. Black slacks completed the look, making him look so professional and...oh, so sophisticated. Not much color to him, but she'd always liked him in darker colors anyway. Instinctively, she swallowed at just how well he put together.

She stepped forward, then stopped as she noticed the animatedly bobbing head of seafoam-green hair right beside him, her hands moving with every shake and tilt. It seemed to hold his bored attention, and her smile faltered a little, hoping to have found him without company. Well, it would seem rude not to approach now, if he had indeed noticed her, though it didn't look like it since his stoic expression was fixed squarely on his conversation mate.

"...'ll agree to a date one day. One day!" The woman went on in a chuckle, still oblivious to the redhead approaching to her left. She could now make out the details of her orange, patterned dress. "I'm a very patient woman, Eraserhead."

"So I've noticed..." He replied bitterly, then glanced over to her now that Hina was close. He straightened, and she could definitely see relief flood his expression. "Hina."

"Hi." She greeted, not missing the way he took a second to really look her over. He may be reserved, but she could definitely tell that he at least liked the view. She turned to the woman, who now looked up her warmly. "Sorry if I'm interrupting. I've been trying to find Shouta all night."

"It's no worry at all!" The woman laughed again, sticking her hand out and grabbing Hina's to pump in an enthusiastic handshake. "I'm Emi, by the way! Or, Ms. Joke if you prefer, but really just call me Emi! I don't think I've seen you around at all. Are you a new teacher?"

"Oh...no, I just don't socialize much with others, I guess. I'm Hina." She introduced, a little overwhelmed with Emi's eagerness to meet. "I work at U.A. with Shouta."

"U.A., huh? So I've got some competition, then? Ha, I've always liked a challenge!" The woman laughed again, eyes closed in mirth. "You shall be my eternal love rival?"

"Eh?" Hina raised a brow at the man beside her but he only sighed and shook his head tiredly. Then, Ms. Joke placed her hands on her hips and gave Hina an amused grin.

"Tell you what. I'll let the two of you talk, since you've been looking for him all night, but next time we are definitely planning the engagement party!" Ms. Joke pointed at Shouta meaningfully, and Hina's eyes widened.

"E-engagement?" Was she missing something here?

"We're not engaged." Aizawa pressed firmly, looking at Ms. Joke with that long-suffering look, as if he'd heard the same thing a thousand times.

Ms. Joke covered her laugh with her hands. "Aha! Always so quick to retort, Eraser! So long! Nice meeting you, Hina!"

And without much other warning, Ms. Joke bobbed into the crowd of teachers that still lingered, leaving the two teachers alone to talk. Shouta gave Hina a tired stare.

"Are you hungry? We can leave now and...avoid her." He suggested and, still a little confused, she nodded.

"I could definitely eat something."

"And _I_ could use a drink."

* * *

"So...what was that about?" She questioned once they'd sat down at the restaurant and ordered their meals for the night. The waiter had just taken their orders and left, giving them some time to talk. Shouta sighed heavily, setting down the mug of beer he'd taken a long drink from.

"A pain in the ass, is what it was..." He mumbled, then winced. "Actually, that's a bit harsh...I've known her for a long time, is all. Our agencies used to be close by, so we went on a lot of missions together, back in the day. I guess we're...friends."

"Did you ever date? Given how she seems to be in love with you..." Hina remarked, taking a sip of her drink. Shouta gave her a stare.

"No."

"So, you're friends who are...engaged?" She pressed curiously, less from jealousy and more because she was amused by the whole thing. Shouta's expression never changed, wholly not amused in the slightest.

"We've never been, nor ever will be, engaged." He stated resolutely, marking the end of that conversation. "She's just got a weird sense of humor."

"Ok...I'll stop asking." But the corner of her mouth was still upturned, thinking up more questions that she could bombard him with later. Ms. Joke was a very interesting person indeed.

He must have sensed that she was still curious, and so he leaned his head on one hand, elbow sitting on the table. "She's harmless, really, all the teasing is just her personality. But she's made it her personal mission the last decade to make me laugh."

"That's all? I've done that several times. Maybe I can give her a few pointers for next time..." She spared him a glance and grinned when he raised a brow.

"You're not helping."

"Gomen, gomen." She replied with a laugh, patting his hand gently in appeasement. "Drink and forget all about it."

"I intend to." He sighed, grabbing his glass and taking another long sip.

"Mmm." Hina hummed, swallowing the drink she'd just taken, but having thought of something. "You saw Hizashi at the banquet, right?"

"Yes, why?"

"Did he say anything about a date?" Her curiosity was burning about the mysterious woman from Shiketsu Academy. "He met up with a lady who works at another school there. He seemed serious about this one."

"Serious, as in?" He prompted, and she shrugged.

"I don't know, more than just a night out and a hook up, maybe? He even looked nervous just going up to her."

"Hmm." Shouta thought about it, but only shook his head. "Doesn't sound like him at all."

"Exactly! What if he's changing?"

He didn't appear convinced like her. "It would take a lot to make that man change anything about his dating habits. He's lived that lifestyle for years. Highly doubt it's what you think. Maybe she's one that he's spurned before."

She let out a sigh, dejected. "Maybe, but I have a feeling he'll come around yet."

"Here's to hoping." Shouta responded tiredly, finishing off the last of his drink. He signaled to a passing waiter for another, and Hina smiled. It was nice to see him unwind and relax. Her eyes roamed his arms again, and she blinked.

"I actually liked attending this year's banquet." She started, then shook her head. "Too bad I didn't find Nemuri. She'll think I didn't come and make a big deal about it."

"Hizashi will vouch for you." He mentioned, and Hina smiled.

"Ooh, good idea."

"I don't see the point to them." Shouta said with a shrug, his cheeks beginning to tinge with red as the alcohol hit his bloodstream. A waiter brought his second drink, and he already started downing it. "But it helps UA's image and a good teacher attends company gatherings, so I make sure not to miss them."

"I felt like I belonged there, for the first time." Hina recalled with a soft smile, then it widened. "Oh, and getting to see you in formal attire is a plus, too." She said, leaning forward a little and lowering her voice so only he could hear. "You look really good in a vest."

She expected him to look away in embarrassment. Shouta wasn't all that great with direct compliments. But this time, it was her who was surprised.

"You look good in everything." He said immediately, his stare meeting hers unflinchingly, causing her to blush. Then his gaze lowered past her face. "Dresses, especially."

Hina felt her breath catch in her throat, appreciative of his words. Shouta always got a little flirty when he drank, but he wasn't that drunk yet, so maybe that wasn't the only reason tonight. She took a long drink of her own alcohol, downing its contents and looking at him over her cup the whole time. Now empty, she set it on the table and smiled at him.

"Yeah? Anything else you're particularly fond of?" She ventured to ask, curious and hoping he'd play along. His eyes narrowed, thinking.

"There isn't really anything I like over the others. Your smile is what does it." He mentioned candidly, and she felt a pleasant pang in her chest. "Just seems to make anything look much...brighter."

"Shouta..." Hina honestly didn't know how to respond to that, her face feeling red as a beat from the blunt compliments. She noticed him staring at her lips, no doubt wanting to lean across and kiss her, as she was want to do, but remembering they were in public. It was a shame they weren't back at the apartments, alone and out of the way of anyone's view...

Oh, yeah. Sometimes it was handy being a telepath.

Hina's leg lifted, brushing against his under the table suggestively. "You're making it very difficult to keep to a promise of taking things slow. Saying things like that...what do you expect a lady to do?"

Her hand rested on his knee, traveling upwards until he grabbed it and stopped her progress, glancing meaningfully at the patrons around them.

"Hina-"

"Relax," She whispered, flashing her eyes blue, "no one can see."

He let out a breath, about to rebuke her, but blinked as she was suddenly on his lap in the chair. Without even moving, she'd placed herself across the table and on top of him. The way her heat pressed down into his own lap was startlingly real, and despite knowing she was projecting all of this in his head, part of him wondered if they were currently putting on a show for the others currently eating their meals.

That was forgotten the moment her lips claimed his, and she led them both in a hard kiss. Shouta's hands settled on her waist. Everything about her felt real, the way her body felt under his fingers, her weight on him, and the way her lips moved. He wasn't sure if he should be concerned just how good she was getting at projecting thoughts into someone's head. The mayhem she could cause him on any passing whim...

He was hard-pressed not to groan when she ground herself down further into his dick, causing a pleasing friction. Shouta's hands snaked upwards towards her breasts-

He blinked and she was suddenly back across the table in her seat, smiling across from him with a sultry expression. Thankfully, it didn't appear as if he'd mimed his mind's eye movements, so he wasn't sitting there as if he were touching her. She at least wasn't that sadistic. Disoriented, he hadn't even noticed the waiter had returned with their meals until he was setting them on the table.

"Thank you." Hina said, grabbing her chopsticks to break apart as Shouta tried situating himself more comfortably in his seat. His pants were uncomfortably tight, but thankfully the table hid it from view.

"Enjoy your meal."

"I'm sure we will." Was her reply, gaze leveled on Shouta.

That smile had never looked more mischievous. And he'd be lying if he didn't find it attractive. Not for the first time and for more than one reason, he was exceptionally grateful that she had rediscovered her confidence. Eyes narrowed in both awe and a promise to return the favor at some point, he too reached for his chopsticks to eat.

It was going to be a long dinner.

* * *

Both of them were very drunk by the time they'd finished their meals. Thankfully, Hina had managed to keep her inner thoughts to herself through the entire dinner, the only hint that she was thinking increasingly dirty things was the way she looked at him from across the table. Shouta was sure there was a matching lust in his own gaze, but now, with six drinks between them and the evidence of red faces, he knew that neither would want to act on it now. They were both far too gone for that. He hoped she'd share his sentiment.

Figuring the cooler night air would help sober them up a bit, they stumbled back towards the teacher apartments. Hina kept trying to make conversation, but she couldn't seem to properly form a full, coherent thought.

"You should have seen it, this guy, with All Might..." She laughed a little, then shook her head, "maybe it isn't as funny as what I think it is...god, it was so hot in that banquet hall, so stuffy!"

"What guy?" He asked curiously, and she concentrated hard on not falling over as she thought back to what had happened. A steady arm around her waist kept her upright and not falling into passersby or traffic.

"I can't even remember his name now...poor All Might, though. Can't go anywhere without someone bothering him! Now, all I've gotta do is talk to Nemuri about art classes..." She rambled on with a smile, and Shouta stared at her in confusion, deciding it was better not to ask in her drunken haze. He found the corner of his own mouth twitched upwards, though.

"Almost there." He mentioned, swinging them both to the left and down the sidewalk that would bring them to the school grounds. The security gate came into view, and they stepped through it, heading down the pathway that would bring them to the teacher apartments.

Hina tripped up a little on a crack in the pathway, making a noise of thought as she remembered something from the banquet. "Hey, Shouta..."

"Hmm?"

"We should turn in one of those fraternity forms to Nezu." She said, looking up at him seriously as they walked.

He raised a brow, pausing. "You mean...fraternization?"

She waved her hands dismissively. "Whatever it's called. We still haven't done that yet, have we?"

"No. But you do know you're very drunk right now?" He supplied, reminding that this decision may be coming from an impulsive thought in her head. "What makes you bring it up?"

"Nezu said something about it, and I've been thinking about it all night, actually." She replied, frowning as she recalled the conversation. "And maybe it's too soon. We aren't that far into our relationship. But I don't care if others know. I'm sure they have an idea even if Nemuri and Hizashi didn't say anything."

"I imagine so." He agreed, having gotten appraising looks from his male coworkers a few times in the break room, with implicit questions of how he was doing outside of his teacher work. Nosy friends, indeed.

They neared the entrance of their suites, and she stopped, turning towards him. Her cheeks were still flushed, but she was clearly thinking. "I want to submit the form. If...that's ok? I wasn't sure how you felt about it, since we've never brought it up."

"I was waiting for you to decide." He admitted with a shrug. "Let you take things at what pace you felt comfortable with."

"Well, I'm asking you, too. It's not just about me. Would it bother you if I did?" He could see her hesitation in the question.

His head shook. "No."

"Ok." She nodded once, almost unsure what to do or say now that they'd gotten the conversation out of the way. Then her smile returned. "I'll fill it out and get it turned in to Nezu on Monday."

She took his hand and led him the rest of the distance to his door. She turned and wrapped her arms around his neck, and he accepted her parting kiss with ease. Hina felt suddenly bad about teasing him at the restaurant before. If she'd known they'd be imbibing in lots of alcohol afterwards, she never would have. Ah, well. There was always another night to test the waters with him.

"I'll maybe see you tomorrow." She said, pulling away after a moment. "If I'm not hungover all day."

"That makes two of us." He said, leaving her with one last kiss before stepping towards the door to unlock it. She went to her own and entered, shooting a final smile and look in his direction before stepping inside.

They were only a wall apart, but she missed him the moment she shut the door behind her.

_Fuck_, did she want him. Maybe they'd waited long enough, because Hina felt like she'd combust any day now if she didn't get her hands on him.

* * *

A/N- You all know I can't wait for them to do the do. I'm their biggest fan, fight me. As always, don't forget to follow, favorite, and review!

**Otakugirl1996-** Nezu knows too much for his own good, lol XD

**PippinSqueaks-** Better that than another UA scandal, yeah? XD

**RulerOfCats-** Thanks for the feedback! I've decided I'm going to wait a bit longer on them getting physical, and hope to make it very meaningful when it does come around. :)

**LexiMoonshine-** Everyone's just as dirty as me, yay! XD Me too. Slow burns give the best satisfaction when it's all said and done. I like your style.

**Rynxenvy-** Haha, I'm glad a majority of my readers would be up for a lemon! I personally think it adds that extra little, ya know, 'flavor' to the story. X)

**BlackBirdInTheNight-** Thank you, thank you! I hope you continue to enjoy. :) I love hearing that kind of feedback.

**a reader-** I have come to the same conclusion! We shall wait! *Bangs gavel*

**Neko Hoshi Hime Okami-** Mmm, most do say they are ready for the lemons, and I have 'hopefully' enough confidence and skill to pull it off well? Fingers crossed, lol. But the more I think about it, the more I want to save it for later. When it would mean more. ;)

**Imthealpha96-** So glad to hear you're enjoying it! thanks for reviewing. :)

**Aryabloodlust-** Nezu is the best, seriously. Second fave character to Aizawa. :)

**musiome-** Nope, not gonna abandon this story! I'm already about halfway through writing it, so I couldn't abandon it like this! :)

**Babygirlmj-** Binge-readers are my fave! I'm glad it was entertaining enough to warrant a binge-read. :) Welcome aboard!

**AnimeFan4Eternity-** Of course he knows, he's a genius, lol. XD You know they ready, but am I ready to see them grow up? NOOOO! So I'mma wait and let things simmer awhile, let you suffer, until it has some more...'meaning.' XD


	29. Chapter 29

A/N- A little bit of a shorter chapter, but still very much important. ;)

**Otakugirl1996-** Lol, it is quite fun to tug and pull at readers' strings.

**musiome-** Thank you! :D

**Rynxenvy-** I really have no problem with Ms. Joke, so I don't know why people would hate on her. She's annoying, but that's just her personality. And when around Shouta, that's sort of a given, lol. He picks annoying people as his friends. :P

**BlackBirdInTheNight-** Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. :) Lol, there will be more teasing to come. But first...

Onwards!

* * *

The evening was dark, but colored lights and artificial fog rose into the sky in a strange array of twisting, swirling displays. It was disorienting and beautiful, and definitely not anything the redheaded hero was used to. The festival grounds were packed with people, even around the exit where Hina and Nemuri currently made their way towards, ears still ringing from being too close to the stage's loudspeakers. Grinning from ear to ear and a face red from exhaustion, Nemuri raised her hands up gleefully. "Woo! What did you think? Weren't they great?"

"Sure, but...did they have to be so loud?" The redhead held onto her head, the pounding feeling remarkably similar to the overuse of her quirk. Perhaps she shouldn't have agreed to join the sleep hero to the festival she'd been dying to go to for weeks.

"Oh, come on, that's half the fun!"

"Losing my hearing?" She retorted with an incredulous expression, but Nemuri waved her concern away, reveling in the aftermath of the high-intensity music.

"It'll go back to normal soon enough! One little concert isn't going to make you go deaf!"

Obviously this was just something Hina couldn't understand, not really a big fan of large concerts and festivals of this size. Nemuri had practically begged her to go since Hizashi had to cover the radio that night and couldn't attend. Relenting, she'd agreed, if only to make the woman happy and spend some quality time with her friend. Seeing as she had nothing to do that night anyway-Shouta was continuing his training sessions for Shinso that evening and therefore was unavailable, a fact she'd been pleasantly surprised to be told about-there wasn't any real reason to refuse going.

Walking out of the grounds, they made their way back towards the academy campus, content to let the night air calm them and take the opportunity to just talk. The sidewalks here were busy, a mixture of the usual passersby and concert attendees in the area. After some minutes, Hina felt like the pulsing bass was far enough behind them that she could finally hear herself think, though the pain of a headache still persisted. The further they walked, the thinner the crowds became.

"Next time we hang out, we're going to a soundproof room and reading a book. Or meditating in UA's gardens with Cementoss after the students get out of class." Hina vowed with a pouty huff. "I feel like my ears are bleeding and my head wants to explode."

"Oh, relax, you." Nemuri pulled a face, still pumped up from the concert. "I know you had fun. Admit it."

"I did have fun. I'm just not making it a monthly occurrence." She said, and Nemuri laughed. "Hizashi is the one more suited to loud environments, not me."

"I'm surprised you actually agreed to go, honestly. I thought for sure you'd bail at the last minute." She said with an amused sparkle in her eyes.

Hina gave her an exasperated stare. "I promised, didn't I? I don't like breaking my word."

"I know you don't. I appreciate it. It was a lot more fun going with someone than by myself." She said, draping an arm over Hina's shoulder lovingly. "I just wish we had more opportunities to get together, ya know? Everyone's always so busy, busy, busy. Even me."

"Well, we'll just have to enjoy the moments we do get, right?" Nemuri flashed her a smile.

"That we do." Her hand dug into her pocket for her phone, tapping away at her camera button. "Come on, get in close for a picture."

"A selfie? Really? It's not 2015 anymore." She admonished, but allowed herself to be squished in close to Nemuri's face, offering a happy smile. They'd gone a distance enough away where they weren't blocking people from walking anywhere, so that wasn't an issue. Nemuri snapped a few, just to be sure one of them turned out good, then they separated and continued walking.

"How else am I supposed to remember you when I'm old and decrepit and can't walk anywhere without a cane?" She quipped after a moment, grinning at the pictures on her phone with amusement. "Besides, who wouldn't want that smiling face as their home screen?"

She turned the screen so Hina could see, which was now the two of them smiling brightly into the camera. The redhead rolled her eyes, unimpressed with the compliment. "You change your home screen every week."

"Yeah, well, this week it's you and your smiling face with mine." She replied, ignoring her friend.

Something flashed past them, nearly knocking Nemuri over in their haste and causing her to drop her phone. Up ahead, both heroes could hear a distant yelling. Someone's purse was stolen, and they needed help. Both women shared a glance. At the same time, Hina could feel her phone vibrating, and she saw it was the police commissioner after pulling it out of her pocket. The redhead gave a sigh. What a bad time.

"Do you think you could handle it? I've got to take this." She pointed to her phone, and Nemuri gave a little grin.

"Don't worry about it. I've got it handled. I'll text you when I get back to the campus!" She gave her friend a playful pat on the shoulder. And with that, Nemuri spun in place and sprinted off after the purse thief.

Seeing her off with one last look, Hina turned attention to her phone and answered the call, holding it up to her ear. "This is Scarlet Seer."

"Hello again. Commissioner Jino calling." He greeted bluntly, immediately moving on to the reason for his call. "It is likely there has been a further victim of Daichi's quirk."

Hina let out a tired and disappointed sigh, rubbing at her already pounding head with dejection. Those she passed by were oblivious to her plight, going about their way. "Damn it...Should I book a train to Hosu City? I can be there within a half hour."

"There is no need." He said, giving nothing away in his tone. "It seems he's returned to Musutafu."

"What?" The hair on the back of her neck stood up, and after only a moment of misstep she quickened her pace. Having him back in the city put her on edge. Then, another spark of panic as she realized that meant someone in the city had been made comatose. Please, don't let it be someone she knew... "Who was the latest victim?"

"Backdraft discovered Death Arms in a dumpster 2 hours ago. At first we thought it a separate incident, but when they couldn't rouse him at the hospital, I became suspicious of the circumstances. I'm still not positive, but I figure it may be best to have you try anyway."

Her heart pounded once painfully, and she made to switch directions. She could still envision the last time she saw the other hero, looking sullen and grim while helping with Kamino Ward's rescue efforts. "I can head over to the hospital right away."

"It would be best to arrive in the morning. The doctors are still working to stabilize his physical condition. He'd been through a very brutal altercation beforehand."

Hina winced. Having to sit at home and wait until the morning to help was more difficult a request than Jino probably knew. The hours of wondering...But, she could see the logic in wanting to stabilize him first before she went digging around in anyone's head. Swallowing her anxiety, she nodded.

"Alright. I will head over early tomorrow."

"Much appreciated, Scarlet Seer. And do not fret. We will catch your brother."

With a tap, she ended the call, and began walking with a purpose back towards the dorms. She dodged past other people walking on the sidewalk, glancing down the dark alley ways in between buildings when she past them. She honestly couldn't help it, this newfound sense of paranoia. Knowing Daichi was here, somewhere out there in the city right at that moment put her on edge. Like she was being watched.

Hina distractedly meddled with her phone, rubbing the side with her thumb out of reflex, debating whether to call Shouta and...and what? She hadn't thought past the simple act of speaking with him, why and what she'd even say. Maybe the plain truth of hearing his voice-

A baby. Frowning, Hina looked around, realizing that a baby had been crying for several seconds without pause. High-pitched and painful, she grew closer to it the further she walked. None of the passersby ahead seemed to be carrying one. Where was it coming from?

Her eyes flicked from person to person, searching for the sound. And strangely, no one else acted as if they heard it. The cries grew more colicky...where was it's mother? Hina's concern grew the longer they continued, and she stopped at the end of an alleyway between a laundromat and a novelty store. The cries seemed to emanate from further into the darkness.

It would be remiss to simply walk away from a baby that could be in danger, but why was no one else doing anything about it? Damn, and her head was still killing her, the pounding from earlier settling into a constant pain. Tonight was turning out to be the worst...

Checking around her, she shook her head and entered the alley cautiously. The baby continued to cry, desperate for attention or help or...something. She trekked further in, seeing that it ended in a brick wall several dozen yards away. The pressure remained in her head, but she swallowed down her nerves. She was a hero. It was ridiculous the way she was jumping at shadows just because her brother had targeted another hero in town.

A small basket lay at the end in the darkness, and the cloth rustled a little from the small child inside. Hina stopped just before the small basket, crouching down to lift the cloth. There was nothing inside. No baby. No nothing. What...?

Her body tensed, hearing the crunch of boots on gravel behind her. The redhead leapt to her feet, eyes flashing, and went to spin around, but a large hand planted itself square in the middle of her face, fingers vicing it with a frightening grip. A cry passed her lips, and her hands automatically shot up to try tearing the appendage off her face, but she wasn't quick enough. She barely had time to even register what her attacker looked like.

"Hnngh!" The huge man grunted as he swung her head-first into the brick wall of the alley, knocking her painfully unconscious with the first hit.

* * *

_"...Hina."_

A distant, muffled voice called her name from the darkness. Fuck, everything was painful. Her head especially. Her closed eyes winced, and she felt someone insistently shaking her shoulder.

"Hina."

"Hmm..." She hummed noncommittally, still a bit dazed and confused as to where she was. Nothing smelled different and whatever she was on was comfortable, so that was a plus.

"Hina, wake up. Open your eyes."

"Shouta...?" She muttered, finally recognizing the voice and cracking her eyes into slits to see where she was. The surroundings pinpointed them in her apartment, with her boyfriend in question crouching in front of her. She rose from laying down on the couch, touching her head delicately. The room was dimly lit, but she could see the first aid kit and a bowl of water beside him on the floor.

A thick bandage was wound around her head, the telltale feel of past bleeding crusting underneath it. Her fingers probed the injury, confusion settling in as the last thing she remembered caught up with her. "What happened?"

"We found you in an alley. You were unconscious, so I brought you back here. What do you remember?" He asked cautiously, peering into her face.

Hina sighed heavily, taking a second to really orient herself. That damn pain in her head felt much more than it should have. The pressure that wouldn't go away lingered all around her skull, and she rubbed at it to try getting it away. What the hell was causing it?

"I remember...hearing a baby crying. In the alley." She started slow, thinking over it from start to finish, analyzing every detail she could. "I went to go see what was happening and someone...knocked me out."

Shouta nodded thoughtfully, wearing his casual clothing and...had he shaved? His stubble and mustache had begun growing back but he lacked either now, and she reached out to touch his face.

He grabbed her wrist and gently guided it back to the couch. "Stop for a second. We need to talk about everything."

"But, that's all I remember-"

"Not that. I mean with your brother."

Hina frowned, the nagging pressure seeming to worsen a degree as if it wasn't already giving her a killer migraine. What the hell was he talking about? "I don't understand...what?" "The man that attacked you was connected with your brother. I think it's time you told me the whole truth about him." He insisted, staring at her with a hard gaze. "You know exactly why he's after you, exactly what he wants. You've just neglected to tell me about it."

This sounded so unlike him. "Shouta-"

"No, Hina. No more hiding it. This has just become much worse than we'd thought it would, and unless we know what it is he's after, I can't help to protect you." He pushed, leaning closer to her. "What is it that he wants?"

She stared back with disbelief. The last time he'd taken this sort of tone with her was during their first training session. He'd called her out on her excuses. And she supposed he was doing the same now.

The redeah huffed out a breath, her chest tight and, damn her, her head even tighter. It felt like any minute it would explode outwards. And despite this familiar setting, she felt like something was wrong. "My grandfather's ring...a family secret. If I were to take a guess, that's what he wants."

"Why?"

"It's...It boosts the telepathic power of who wears it. It's illegal equipment that he used while active in America." She explained, rubbing at her temples with her hands. God, the pain was making it hard to think. It was distracting her, and she heard Shouta say something but each passing second it was getting harder to think. But Shouta's outfit, and this whole setting in general was just very familiar, and something was nagging at the edge of her mind that she'd seen it before. It was insistent. "I think he wants it to make his quirk even stronger."

"Where is it?"

"It's...hidden." She surmised finally, and she watched him glare at the indirect answer.

"Hina, we need to know _where_ so that we can protect it and keep it from him. Tell me where it is. The longer we wait, the more likely he is to target the students now that he knows you're a teacher." His tone took on a harsh edge she'd never heard from him before. It sounded incorrect, so unlike him that it made her speechless for a moment.

Eyes wide, she stared at him and paused with sudden clarity. This...was that night. That night after Kamino Ward. Her eyes glanced down at the bowl of water, the first aid kit, and even his outfit was exactly the same. The shaven face, her apartment. Her phone was even beside her on the couch. He could mask it and alter it all he liked, but a night as traumatic as that would certainly sear itself into her head.

Hina looked back at Shouta, or the image of him, and steeled her nerves. Her heart leapt to her throat at the implication, but at least now she knew what was happening. The insistent pressure in her skull made a lot more sense now. And despite being in the absolute worst position she could be in right now, her voice surprisingly didn't waver.

"No need to put on someone else's face, Daichi. I know it's you."

The effect was instantaneous. Shouta's face relaxed, and broke into a smug smirk. And in a flash, the scene changed. Her apartment melted away, the carpet growing gritty as it turned to sand, the dark interior brightening into the low-hanging sun that slanted orange rays across the beach. The shoreline. Her mind's place.

Shouta shifted and reshaped himself into the likeness of a red-headed man, easy smile still in place. His hair was a little longer than she remembered, reaching an inch or so past his shoulders, and he sported a comfortable set of jeans and t-shirt, complete with an open zip jacket. Looking every bit the thug that he was.

Hina risked a glance behind her, glad to see her mental wall still in place and soaring high into the sky. It was still intact. Her mind hadn't been shattered yet.

"You know, I was hoping we could just do this the easy way so I wouldn't have to waste my energy going the brute force route." He said with nonchalance, shrugging and taking a glance at the ever-present sun with a squint. "But I guess you've always sort of been a pain in the ass. Wouldn't be like you to just willingly tell me what I want."

His gaze returned to her, and this time, she could see the deep-seated resentment behind his pupils, fixing her with a relentless and chilling stare that she couldn't look away from. She shivered from fear, the power he radiated much stronger than years ago. All of her culminated training would have to keep her alive through whatever was to come. And Hina honestly wasn't sure if it would be enough.

* * *

A/N- So...what did you think? ;) Tell me in a review! And don't forget to follow and favorite if you've enjoyed the story so far!


	30. Chapter 30

A/N- I'm back with another chapter! No Hina in this one...how is everyone else faring, knowing she's gone?

**RulerOfCats-** Yay, I'm glad! :D

**musiome-** I pulled the ol' switheroo on ya. Well, it was intended to feel like it happened within a minute! Very unexpected and fast. :)

**Leoki-** Haha! You know I had to do it to ya.

**Otakugirl1996-** Fine, fine. I relent. I won't wait a week before posting, lol. Here ya go. ;)

Onwards!

* * *

A thick and uneasy silence hung over the staff of UA. Seated around their U-shaped table, no one really knew what to say. What even was there to say? No one had expected things to come to this, not to one of their own. One particular seat in the middle of the curve was glaringly empty, and several members of staff couldn't help but catch it in the corner of their eye. A stark reminder as to the reason for their emergency meeting, called by Nezu that morning.

Most also cast subtle looks towards the silent and expressionless 1-A homeroom teacher. Aizawa didn't bother looking anywhere else but the other side of the room. Had they not known the man, they would have assumed he didn't care or was simply bored of the proceedings. But his clear avoidance of anyone's gaze and glazed-over, fatigue-laden eyes was evidence enough that a purposeful mask was in place to prevent anyone else from seeing the pain there. As always so intent to maintain logic no matter the circumstance.

Midnight especially was staring directly at him, trying to see what he was thinking, and making it painfully obvious that she felt at fault with the whole ordeal. But he wouldn't even look her way so she could show in her expression the regret that etched itself on her heart. And she wasn't brave enough at the moment to break the heavy silence that had settled over her coworkers.

The door opened, nearly causing those in attendance to jump in their seats. The small mouse-dog-bear principal made his way to his chair, and a young man directly behind him. All Might straightened in his seat, recognizing the youthful detective Tsukauchi. He took up a stance just behind the principal's chair. Nezu faced the room, mouth downturned in a grim frown, and let out a quiet sigh.

"Thank you for coming at such short notice. I'm sure you have all been caught up on the reason for our gathering. For the sake of clarification, Scarlet Seer has been reported missing after failing to return home from an outing last night." He said without mincing words. "The last one to have seen her was Midnight as they walked home from the music festival."

"How did she manage to disappear if you were there with her?" Snipe questioned, unable to prevent the sting of accusation from his tone.

She winced with visible pain, shaking her head and staring at the table. "It was just for a moment. We were on our way home and a criminal ran past. She wasn't feeling well, and so I offered to take care of it. We were only fifteen minutes from the campus! I thought it would be fine-"

"You weren't even on duty, there surely would have been another hero out there patrolling who could have taken care of it." Snipe pressed, sounding aggravated.

"That's quite enough." Nezu said, shutting down the rise of anger before it could swell into something more serious. When he spoke, he addressed the whole room. "There was no way to foresee the consequence of leaving her by herself, nor should we be quick to blame Midnight. It was through no fault of her own that what happened did."

All Might nodded. "As hard as it may be to admit, she made the right choice. To ignore her responsibility as a hero would have been shameful. I think we can all agree that Hina would have placed her duty above her own safety, even knowing what would have occurred after the fact."

Coming from the former number one hero, the others were reminded of their oaths to protect the innocent, and remained rightfully chastened, nodding along with his statement. He was right. The citizens' safety was most important. The reminder was painful but necessary, their own emotions and personal attachments getting in the way.

"Musutafu's law enforcement is providing assistance." Nezu continued. "I will let detective Tsukauchi speak on the matter and provide what information they have."

"Thank you." Tsukauchi gave a little bow as acknowledgement of his cue to step forward. "Given the recent events surrounding UA, I wanted to first address the question of a possible media scandal. Rest assured, the existence of this investigation will remain out of the public's knowledge and completely within the department. We understand the tumultuous position that UA is currently in, and do not want to see any further damage come to the academy's reputation."

"What do you know so far?" Cementoss asked gently, and the young detective turned to answer.

"We are in the process of recovering surveillance footage of the possible area she could have been taken, based on Midnight's description of the location where they separated. Eyewitness statements will be taken from shop owners and those who may have been in the area around the time of her disappearance." He said, now speaking to the whole room. "All of you will be updated the moment we learn her whereabouts or anything of importance."

"So...we don't know anything at all yet?" Power Loader surmised with a shake of his head. "Damn..."

"Have we considered that this may be another play by the League of Villains?" Mic said, lifting his hand to demonstrate his point. "They've been too active lately to rule them out."

Ectoplasm closed his eyes, thinking about it. "She was present at Kamino Ward. They know who she is. No better person to target than someone who was crucial in thwarting their plans for Bakugo. This could simply be another act of war from them, born of vengeance."

"I highly doubt it." Snipe said with a shake of his head. "My money is on her brother."

"Has there been any ransom note or claim to the crime?" All Might questioned.

Tsukauchi shook his head slowly. "We have left all methods of communication open in the event there is a ransom, but we have seen no acknowledgement of her disappearance on any channel."

Vlad nodded in agreement, arm crossed in front of him. "The League operates with the sole intent of disrupting hero society. This isn't their style, it's too covert. They don't do things quietly. By now, they would have claimed credit and attached their name to the kidnapping."

"I've spoken to Police Commissioner Jino, who was working with Scarlet Seer on several cases involving her brother." The detective continued. "It is believed that he has very recently made his way back to Musutafu after a brief period in Hosu City. Given the timeframe, we both strongly agree that he is the likely perpetrator."

Mic, who was watching Aizawa carefully, saw as he closed his eyes and sighed to himself. He had yet to say anything, and the DJ wondered if he could even bring himself to. He frowned in worry, though now wasn't the time to ask if he was alright, drawing his attention back to the detective.

Tsukauchi placed the stack of folders on the desk and offered one to Power Loader, who was directly on his right. "He has put together a profile of Daichi Hitagawa, which you will find in the information packets I hand out. Please familiarize yourself with them and keep a vigilant eye both while on and off campus. While it is not likely, we cannot rule out the possibility that he could approach the campus and endanger the student body."

"What are we supposed to tell them, anyway? The students...the moment they know she's missing, it'll spread like wildfire, even if we stress the importance of keeping this quiet." Power Loader pointed out, and Nezu spoke up again.

"We've taken this into consideration. Until further notice, please inform your students that Scarlet Seer is away in response to a family emergency, the details of which were not disclosed. I will arrange for a trustworthy substitute in the meantime, who will also be informed of the situation." He folded his paws carefully. "I understand that the longer she is missing, the less this facade will hold water. Be firm with your explanations to those pressing for answers. And let this be an urge to us all to locate her as swiftly as is possible."

"If you do have any further information that may be helpful to the investigation, please do come forward or reach out to us at the number listed in the folders." Tsukauchi instructed, bowing at the waist and turning to leave the room.

* * *

Hands stuffed in his pockets, both clenched in tight fists, Aizawa didn't bother stopping when he heard Mic and Midnight calling out his name. He'd thought that avoiding the main elevator and taking a longer way out of the building would leave him in solitude as the meeting adjourned. Being around his coworkers right now was...an uncomfortable thought. He'd felt them staring at him the whole time, trying to gauge his reaction. Perhaps waiting for his composure to break.

Wincing as their voices sounded closer, he quickened his pace, wishing to get out of sight and that they'd just leave him be. He wasn't in the mood for conversation, knowing exactly the questions they'd ask and aware that he didn't have good answers for them.

"Shouta, wait for a _damn_ minute!" Mic called in exasperation and incredulity, and the erasure hero finally stopped midway down the hallway towards the elevator, eyes cast down on the tile. Obviously there was no getting away, no matter how much he wanted to. He didn't even look up to acknowledge them as they passed and stood before him.

Mic tentatively reached out and touched his shoulder. "Jeez, way to rush out of the room like that! We wanted to see that you were ok. This can't be easy for you, Hina being missing...How are you hol-"

"I'm fine." He muttered bluntly, his tone leaving no argument that he clearly wasn't in the mood to talk. He shrugged Mic's hand off. Neither cared to acknowledge it, and Midnight stood closer, forcing him to look at her. She was clearly upset, and it pained him to see her in such a state.

"Shouta, I..." Her head shook, eyes watery. The sleep hero couldn't find the right words to say, and decided to simply get on her knees and lower her head in a bow. "I'm so sor-"

"Stop." He bit out, grabbing her arm and preventing her from lowering her head to the ground. She only huffed out a sad breath, prevented from displaying her guilt. "Midnight, get up."

She wouldn't budge, eyes tightly closing. "I refuse. Because of me, she-"

"No." He interrupted, pulling harder and forcing her to her feet again. "Get. Up."

"I left her alone!" She cried out and yanked her arm out of his grip, frustrated and full of regret and pain, and the outburst was loud and surprising enough to silence him momentarily. "I knew all this time that she was worried about him coming after her, and I _knew_ he was out there somewhere...And because of my fucking decision, she's missing! I wasn't there when she needed me to be!"

"Nemuri..." Mic muttered, watching his friend sadly. But she refused to pst, staring down her younger friend with a fiery determination.

"I left my friend helpless while she was hunted by her fucking brother. And if something does happen to her, I won't be able to live with myself. Because I decided I wanted to be a fucking hero instead of protecting the person most in danger." She muttered resolutely.

Aizawa said nothing, the only break to his blank expression was a clench of his jaw, a twitch of his eye. Tiny, barely noticeable ticks. A crack in the mask.

"Helpless..." He parroted back without heat, but nonetheless accusatory. "Everyone talks about her in the same way, like she's weak and unable to fend for herself. Like she can't go anywhere without protection. Maybe you don't do it consciously, but you still do."

Mic stepped forward now. "What? Of course we know she's not weak!"

But Aizawa only shook his head, eyes never leaving Nemuri's. "Hina was well aware of the risk, every time she stepped out of her apartment she knew he might be there. That's why she trained so hard. Because she knew it would happen eventually, no matter how much none of us wanted to believe it. She knew right from the beginning.

"She's gone _not_ because you left her alone," He urged, "but because he'd keep looking and hurting people until he found her, and she happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Mic and Midnight exchanged a glance, growing quiet. Aizawa lowered his head, letting out a weak sigh.

"Of course I wish I was there. Maybe if I hadn't been busy, then she would have stayed on campus and we wouldn't be talking about this. There are too many 'what-ifs.' I can't stand it. None of us know how powerful he is, and what he plans to do. Now, we have to trust that she is strong enough to defend herself, that she's prepared. And do all we can to find her."

When they didn't respond, he began walking away again. They didn't bother following this time, too caught up in their own emotions and thoughts.

* * *

Monday after lunch class 1-A walked into their Life Skills classroom as normal, but stopped upon seeing someone out of place inside. The redhead hero was not there. Instead, her back turned, a brunette woman wrote some things down on the chalk board as if she had always been there. Surely their teacher hadn't had the urge to cut and dye her hair...

"Where's Hitagawa Sensei?" Mineta asked in confusion, and the woman turned around, spotting the students in the doorway with a bit of surprise, not having heard them enter.

Midoriya recognized her immediately, eyes widening. It hadn't been immediately apparent, given the absence of her cat-styled hero costume replaced by a skirt and blouse. "Mandalay? What are you doing here?"

The Pussycat member gave a patient smile as the rest of the students realized who she was, before gesturing to the room. "I'll explain in a moment, but let's not block the doorway, shall we?"

Confusion still clearly evident in their expressions, 1-A filed inside and took their seats as usual. It took a few minutes for everyone to arrive, the bell ringing soon after to indicate that class was now back in session. All in attendance, they stared at the woman who was not their teacher.

Mandalay, having finished writing the subject for the day's lesson behind her, stood in front of the desk and linked her fingers. She let out a sigh.

"Before anyone else asks, I'll just clear the air now. Scarlet Seer had an unexpected family emergency come up, and will be away for an indeterminate amount of time while she handles it. Until her return, I've been asked to step in and substitute for her classes."

Mutters crossed the room, speculations of what sort of emergency had come up, and Iida swiftly raised his hand. "Is Hitagawa Sensei alright? She's not in danger, is she?"

Mandalay spread her hands vaguely. "I'm afraid I don't have any details about what has pulled her away, so I couldn't say. I wouldn't worry, though. She is a strong woman, and is sure to return as soon as possible."

The lack of any solid answers certainly didn't satisfy their curiosity, but the substitute had been instructed to remain vague and optimistic. Soon, they'd realize that throwing themselves into school work would occupy their thoughts. And hopefully, their confidence in her strength would stave off most of the concerns as to her health.

With a nod, she grabbed the financial textbook off of the desk and held it up. "Alright, let us begin the lesson. Turn to page 64 in your book and begin reading the first few pages..."

* * *

"Again."

Shinso, already huffing from exertion, returned to a starting position on the gym mat with his bamboo practice staff. The gym was quiet, save for the sound of their training. Arms shaking, he tried to calm his racing heart, making himself focus as Aizawa stepped forward to initiate the first strike.

He back-stepped and blocked, angling the staff so the blow would slide down the shaft rather than fully take the brunt of the hit, as he'd been taught. However, the force behind it still made him unsteady. Trying to power through the miscalculation, he sidestepped and tried to go for the opening created as Aizawa went to pull his own weapon back.

The older man was too quick, forcing Shinso back on the defensive before his own strike could do any damage. The difference in strength was clear, and after several minutes of sparring, the shaft of Aizawa's staff glanced over the boy's knuckles. Shinso cried out in pain, and dropped the weapon to the floor. He stumbled backwards, shaking out his hand and getting out of the way of Aizawa's reach.

"Damn it..." He muttered, disappointed that he hadn't even lasted as long as the previous round. At this rate, he'd regress to when they'd began the lesson.

"Stop being so rigid. Loosen your muscles." Said the teacher impatiently, and Shinso nodded his agreement. Though, he didn't have to be so crass about it.

"Right, sorry."

"Pick it up." Aizawa commanded, robotically returning to the starting position on the mat and staring him down without amusement. "Again."

Shinso wasn't used to such a mood from his mentor. Sure, Aizawa wasn't the bubbliest person on the planet, but at least he was usually patient and in a relatively good mood during their trainings. Tonight, there was something definitely different. He was less forgiving with mistakes, responses clipped and blunt. And he had barely given the high school student a chance to take a breath their entire session.

The entire day had been different though. The whole staff felt on edge, like they were looking over their shoulders. Most hadn't been entirely there during the lessons, appearing distracted and worried about something. Or maybe he was just reading too much into it.

Keeping quiet with his thoughts, he sighed and picked up the weapon, eventually settling into his starting position across from his mentor on the mat. For a moment, they simply waited. Until Shinso decided to take initiative this time and move first.

He felt the impact of the staffs as the bamboo connected, his first hit blocked by Aizawa's swift reflexes. Shinso tried putting on the pressure this time, staying bold with his attacks and enclosing on Aizawa's space. The man did indeed give some ground, stepping back to keep their distance but near the edge of the mat he stopped, holding his ground.

The bamboo staffs bared their strength against each other, Shinso and Aizawa staring down the other silently. But the boy's eyes widened when he was pushed backwards. Nearly losing his footing, he stumbled, not keeping a firm hold on the weapon. It gave Aizawa the opportunity to attack from below, using the last few inches of his staff to send Shinso's twirling out of his hands and twirling several feet away to land with a loud clack on the gym's wood floor.

As if to rub salt in the wounds, the tip shot forward to push the boy to the ground, settling on his sternum to keep him there. "I've told you before. Getting in close to them means they'll be close to you. Keep your distance, but keep up pressure. Find the middle ground."

Shinso's ragged breaths was the only response. Aizawa stared down at the boy without expression, finally lifting the staff and holding a hand out for him to take. Shinso hesitated a moment, perhaps suspecting a trick, but did take the offered hand to get help standing up again.

"Take a break." Aizawa turned away towards where their stuff was set against the wall. He crouched and reached down to grab their water bottles, tossing one to Shinso who caught it in his shaky hands. He set the bamboo staff down and sat with crossed legs, eagerly chugging the water as if it were his first drink in a week.

Despite not looking all that worn out, Aizawa leaned against the wall and drank from his own bottle, staring off into space without a word. They normally spent their down time going over how he was performing in their exercises, but tonight he was remarkably distant and clsoed off. Shinso stared, eyes narrowing as he finally voiced what he'd been thinking all night.

"You're different today." He eventually said, gaining his mentor's attention. When Aizawa didn't say anything, he pressed on. "I'm not saying to go easy on me but, something's put you in a bad mood."

"Is that right?" He questioned vaguely, but Shinso nodded, going along with his train of thought.

"You never push this hard, or for this long. We've been sparring for almost 2 hours straight. You point out everything I'm doing wrong relentlessly-"

"How else will you fix your mistakes?" He replied as an afterthought, but knew the boy had a point. They'd been working themselves hard that night. Harder than usual. He'd told himself it was a way to push the boy who had been making good progress, but a part of him knew it was simply an excuse to distract himself from his girlfriend's disappearance. Shinso rejected his response and shook his head.

"Kinda weird that you're like this just as Hitagawa Sensei leaves. It all happening at once, you know?" He continued, staring at his mentor with meaning. "Everyone keeps saying she's got some family emergency. No one can say why or where. Or even how long. Feels strange to me..."

Aizawa met his stare but remained quiet, expression giving absolutely nothing away. Shinso had always been smart, observant. Perhaps he'd seen past the cover story early on. Whatever the case, he wouldn't be fooled by their reasons for her absence.

"This has something to do with that, right?" He guessed, refusing to be rebuffed. "Something bad's going on, and you're distracted by it."

Aizawa let out a tired sigh, frustrated that the boy had to be so smart, but also somewhat relieved. Why? He'd never be able to guess. Perhaps being able to confide in his protege would alleviate some of the worry. His reasonable brain immediately shut that thought up.

"Yes." He eventually admitted, fixing him with a cold stare and setting his water bottle on the ground. "None of it concerns you, however."

Shinso frowned. "But-"

"Unfortunately, you can't afford to spend time being distracted by anything other than training." He interrupted, grabbing his staff and approaching intently. "You're still behind the level of class 1-A. So pick up your staff and take a ready stance if you hope to make it to the hero course."

* * *

A/N- I've been meaning to bring Aizawa's training with Shinso in somehow. Glad I could squeeze it into the chapter! Oh, you wanted to know what was going on with Hina? Patience, my lovelies. We'll get there. ;) As always, don't forget to follow, favorite, and review if you enjoyed!


	31. Chapter 31

A/N- Would you like to see more Hina? Say no more. ;)

**Otakugirl1996-** I've been meaning to put Shinso in the story forever and I'm so glad I got to now! He and Shouta are such a great dynamic. I love it. :)

**BlackBirdInTheNight-** Well, we will certainly see if she can overcome her brother...

**Leoki-** Don't worry, I'm back quick! :D

Onwards!

* * *

Pressure. Intense pressure like she'd never felt before. The sheer strength of Daichi's will was dizzying, constantly threatening to crush her skull in the longer it kept up. And damn, did he keep it up. Hina's body was shaking, hands pressing flat against the mental brick wall that stood between her and the man looking to completely destroy her. Of course, after hours of use, her own usual headache was also rearing its ugly head, contributing to the severe pain spiking through at regular intervals.

A loud rumble on the other side as he launched another fierce attack. She felt the vibrations through her palms, felt the bricks shake, heavy and substantial. Her protections hadn't taken any sort of damage in years, never having really come across another mental quirk user since he'd been put in prison. The extra layer she forced into the wall with her own willpower was possibly the only reason it hadn't fallen yet, and she feared for the moment that her own endurance gave out, granting him that small slip, that small opportunity to force his way through and reach her subconscious. A fearful glance to the beach's dock behind her confirmed that the light blue orb was still floating there, glowing brightly and intact.

Hina faced forward, closing her eyes and concentrating on blocking another round of Daichi's mental assaults. They were almost lazy and uncoordinated now, striking at random and in indiscernible patterns. She felt a bead of sweat slide down her forehead, the shaking in her hands growing more pronounced. Each hit was felt against her skull, as if the wall were simply an extension of her head. And to a degree, it was.

And then it stopped. As suddenly as they'd originally come. Most of the pressure alleviated, subsiding into a much more manageable throb. He'd pulled away, released his hold on her mind. Tired, Hina did the same. The beach surrounding her faded, the sand disappearing and the sun dimming into nothingness.

Reality was much more bleak. There was only darkness, and she could feel the chains still locking her wrists to the floor. It was cold, hard. Concrete. She sat cross-legged and hunched. Moving her head side to side, she still felt the thick band of fabric restricting her vision, preventing her from being able to activate her quirk on Daichi. Of course, not like he'd just let her fight back. He knew every one of her weaknesses, because they were his too.

She still felt sick overall, breaths coming out in uneven pants as she reoriented herself to the environment. Despite being blind, she was surprised to hear Daichi's own labored breathing. His strength aside, even he had a limit to the length of time he could continuously use his quirk, a fact she was very much thankful for now.

"You're definitely much more difficult to break, I'll give you that." He said, a mix of anger and curiosity lacing his words. "But that's alright. Now that you're here, I can really take my time forcing my way to the answers I want. Without food and water, you'll eventually weaken enough to let me in."

Hina swallowed down her panic, not wanting to think about the long term. "Can we please talk about this, Daichi?"

He scoffed mockingly. "_Talk?_ What, did you want some sort of family reunion? Too bad I didn't bake a cake to celebrate the occasion. Should I braid your hair like I used to?"

"Don't. Just...stop patronizing me." She shot back, irritated that he was of course still mocking her. Just like the last time they'd faced each other. Perhaps she should have watched what she said for fear of retaliation, but the familiarity eased away any caution.

"Wouldn't dream of it, sis." He said, amusement clearly evident in his tone. She shifted in place, testing how much give the chain had. Not very far. Daichi must have noticed what she was doing and chuckled to himself. "But fine. I'll take the bait. Let's talk. _Have a little chat._ It has been, what...five years, right? Surely your exciting and heroic life will _more_ than make up for my lack of interesting stuff to share."

His sardonic words were meant to sting, to poke uncomfortably. Hina didn't want to admit that it was working, but it was. She'd never wanted him to go down this path he'd chosen for himself, the reasons why still confusing her. Whatever hope that maybe he'd still hold some inkling of compassion or remorse in him was dashed. Still, she had to know a few things, her curiosity getting the better of her. "Won't you just tell me why?"

"Why what?"

Hina shook her head, knowing he was just being coy. "Why did you turn your back on your dream, on me? To be a hero, like dad? No lies, no bullshit. Just tell me the truth. I think I deserve that much. What happened that made you so...evil?"

Another scoff. "You really think I'm evil, huh? Figures..."

"What else would you call it, tearing people's minds apart?" Came her incredulous question.

"Exercising the quirk I was born with. Why should I be seen as evil for exploring the full extent of my power and potential? It's a part of me, isn't it? Why would being who I am make me evil?"

That certainly hadn't been what she was expecting, and for several moments she couldn't even respond, struck absolutely speechless. "A-are you serious? You just see it as..._practice?_ Just...extending your free will?"

"I wouldn't expect you to understand. Someone who was coddled, told you could do no wrong. You've always been weaker, Hina. You never had to hide a part of yourself behind a wall, never to see the light of day. We may have grown up in the same house, but you and I are _nothing_ alike because that's how mom and dad wanted it. They took one look at what I could do and tried to suppress it." The bitterness grew in his voice, and Hina feared that he'd lash out in anger. But to hear him speak of his reasons...

"What are you talking about...coddled?"

"Oh, come on, you can't be that naive." He admonished, a harsh undertone creeping in. "I always knew you were the sheltered one, but seriously. You've barely grown up at all."

"Just spit it out, already. Quit talking in circles." Hina bit, frustrated by his beat-around-the-bush accusations.

"Mom and dad, maybe they were great parents to you, but I'd never consider them family. Not after the bullshit and borderline abuse they put me through."

Hina felt a surge of anger, facing the direction she believed Daichi to be. "That's a lie! Mom and dad were _never_ abusive, they loved both of us! They would never...I don't know what the hell you're trying to play at, but...how could you even say-"

She startled when she felt him grab at the cloth around her eyes, yanking it off viciously and making her look him straight in the face. She blinked several times, getting used to the sudden change in light. It was the first time she'd seen him outside of her mind. And in person, he was much more intimidating. The rage was striking in his expression.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me I'm lying!" He yelled, holding her face and shaking it just inches form his own. "Go on, Hina! Tell me! That the childhood I lived was all just a bad dream, a delusion! See for yourself, just what a _perfect_ fucking life I had."

Terrified, she couldn't see any semblance of mistruth in his expression. But people could become excellent liars. Deception came easily to villains, right? She needed to see for herself and so activated her quirk, delving into the center of his head to see what he would show her.

It was like she'd stepped into a memory. Actually, that's exactly what this was. Their old childhood home. She could smell her father's cologne and her mother's incense wafting through the house like the air itself. The combination sent a pang of nostalgia and yearning through her chest, se deep it felt like a physical blow. It had been so long since she'd recognized the scent, and yet it was so familiar, almost instinctual.

Everything was as she remembered it; complete with the dozens of toys and games and books that always seemed to litter the front room's floor no matter how many times their mother cleaned it, and the wall that had been converted into their height chart as they grew taller and taller.

Ignoring Daichi, who stood watching her from the center of the room, she walked over to the wall, inspecting the pencil marks that lined the edge. In red, her mother had written 'Daichi, Age 5' with a height of 43". Several inches beneath that was Hina's own measurement. In purple, her favorite color at the time. 'Hina, Age 3." She touched the marks with reverence. They were so young back then...

"Dachi!" A little voice cried, unable to properly pronounce her brother's name.

She turned, watching her toddler-self stumble into the front room, holding a book and blanket at the ready. Her red hair barely reached past her chin, and was secured in two tiny hairbands on other side of her head. "Dachi! Book, book!"

Her much-younger older brother, who sat playing with one of his action figures, looked up at her as she ran into the room. "I'm playing with my toy. I don't wanna read." He said, going back to bending the little figure's arms and legs and miming fighting moves with it.

"Mmm..." Hina groaned out in that way that children did, throwing on her best petulant pout and slumped her little shoulders. "But, story time!"

"Go ask mom." He said with clear displeasure, but their little child argument had reached the ears of their mother, who Hina could hear working on dinner in the next room. She popped her head around the corner and looked at her children.

Hina's heart hurt once more. Their mother...Marie Hitagawa was a natural beauty, her crimson hair and striking face what had caught their father's eye and never let it go. And even after motherhood, she was still someone capable of turning heads. Her eyes looked down at her son, an eyebrow quirked.

"Daichi, you've been playing with your action figures all day. Why don't you spend some time with your sister and read her the book?" She suggested in the signature mom-voice, making it clear that it really wasn't a suggestion at all.

Annoyed, he dropped his toy and pulled a face. "Ugh, fine!"

Little Hina dropped down beside him with a pleased smile, setting the book in his lap and scooting closer so she could see the pictures as he read. Still upset that he was being forced to read when he didn't want to, little Daichi's grumpy face was set firmly in place as he flipped to the first page.

Adult Hina turned to look at her brother, who was staring down at the two of them without expression. "Why are you showing me-?"

"Watch." He spat, not even giving her an acknowledgement. Reluctantly, she did as told.

Little Daichi read through the book, with little Hina hanging onto every word. There came a part in the story where the character came across a forest of wild monsters, and despite loving having her brother read to her, she'd always been afraid of that book in particular. Why she'd chosen it, neither could say. So, when it came to the part that they were supposed to let out mighty roars, Hina hid her head under her blanket and whined.

"The monsters are so scary..." She said, and Daichi shook his head.

"No way, you're just a baby. You know what is scary?" His face split into an excited grin as Hina's head popped out from the blanket.

"What?"

"Vampires." He said, and both adult siblings watched the way his eyes began glowing their cyan hue.

Little Hina let out a terrified scream, followed by scared crying, and Hina's mom came rushing out from the kitchen, eyes searching for whatever had scared her child. She knelt in front of her and held on to her shoulders.

"What's going on?" She questioned, the sounds of their father's footsteps coming down the stairs further in the house. "Hina, what happened?"

"B-bampire!" Came her sobbing reply, pointing over at the corner where she'd seen the creature looming over her. Hina's mother searched for any trace of the supposed 'vampire' but found nothing, finally turning to her son, whose eyes were only just beginning to fade. He didn't seem phased at all.

"Daichi, did you do something to your sister?"

He shrugged, looking back down at his toy and picking it up. "I just showed her something scary. I didn't know she was gonna cry." Their mother appeared distressed at his response.

"What happened?" Their father asked, stepping into the front room as their mother stared with a frown at Daichi. He saw the expression on her face and stopped.

"Takeshi..." She muttered, picking Hina up and walking towards the way he'd just come. "I need to speak with you, right now."

As their mother walked away carrying a still-crying Hina, the memory faded, vanishing into the darkness around them. Adult Daichi stood, staring where the scene had played out with a tight expression.

"That was the first moment, when my freedoms began disappearing one by one." He said, and Hina shook her head.

"You scared me as a kid, so what? You had just developed your quirk, you didn't have control over it. Neither did I, when mine appeared." Hina didn't see the significance of the event, but he turned his cold stare to her.

"Dad couldn't project images until he'd trained his quirk for years. I could do it from day one." He explained, and she finally saw the significance. "They realized just how powerful I really was. And it scared them, Dad especially."

The pro hero couldn't come up with something to say, and instead drew her attention back to their surroundings as it changed into a brand new scene. This time, in their middle school principal's office.

Daichi, now a teenager complete with a pre-pubescent attitude, slouched in the chair in the office's lobby, just outside the principal's closed door. The receptionist sat at her desk nearby, tapping away at her computer but glancing over at the teen every once in awhile to make sure he wasn't up to no good.

Even from behind the closed door, they could still hear some of the conversation from within.

_"...third time he's used his quirk to cheat on a test, and frankly at this rate, I won't be able to reasonably justify anything but expulsion."_ The old man said within, and the teen Daichi gave an exaggerated eye roll. _"He's out of control. His teachers have complained several times about his behavior, and the illegal use of his quirk to manipulate others."_

_"Has he harmed any students?"_ Their father asked seriously inside.

_"No, not physically. Or...mentally, I suppose you could say. Nothing that has caused serious, lasting damage."_

_"But, there have been incidents?"_ Their mother asked.

_"Yes."_ The principal sighed. _"One student had a panic attack in their physical education class, claiming that they were trapped in a black box with no way out. Another, just a few weeks ago, says that he was manipulated into believing a female student liked him. It caused a socially embarrassing scene, according to the student." _

His mother sighed heavily, but Teen Daichi was eyeing the receptionist with contempt to intentionally ignore the conversation from there forward, eyes narrowing as he watched her work at something on her screen. His eyes began to glow a faint blue.

She gasped, pushing away with a terrified expression. Then, she looked down, standing and frantically brushing away at her clothing with loud whimpers.

Hina turned to her brother, who was smirking.

Daichi gave her a glance. "Spiders."

Turning back, she frowned, watching his eyes fade away just a moment before the principal's door opened. Their parents and the older gentlemen stepped out, noticing the receptionist's startled appearance.

"Are you alright, Yui?"

"Yes, gomen'ne..." She flustered a response, patting at her face and glancing around with fear. "There was just...a few spiders. They startled me."

Takeshi Hitagawa turned and gave a hard look at his son, who looked away after a moment of locking eyes. "I apologize for any trouble my son has caused you. It won't happen again." He stressed.

Again, the scene faded, and Daichi's head shook.

"I wouldn't realize it for a few years but...Mom and Dad decided to put me on a quirk suppression medication after that. Slipped it into my food at dinner, I guess. They figured if I wasn't as powerful as I used to be, maybe I'd settle down and conform to their...ideology."

"I don't remember you ever being a troubled student..." Hina said quietly, thinking about everything she'd seen.

"_'Don't let Hina see your bad habits,_' they'd always say." Daichi shrugged, eyeing her maliciously again. "They didn't want your childhood to be sullied, I guess."

She only shook her head, unsure what to say. A final memory materialized into being, and this one she actually remembered very clearly, even before they'd said a word.

"My high school dance..." She muttered sadly, seeing her younger self trying to get ready in the mirror. Looking back, the dark green dress really wasn't doing her any favors, clashing strangely with her hair color, but she'd been adamant back then that it had been the one she'd wanted.

She brushed and tugged at her long hair, though it wasn't nearly as long as her current style now. Frustrated that it wasn't cooperating with her, she gave a huff and grabbed the can of hairspray to try something else.

"Hina-" Daichi said as he stepped around the corner, but was just in time to get a face-full of the spray, missing her hair and making his sputter out in a coughing fit.

"Oh, shoot, sorry!" She said, setting it down and holding out her hands to somehow help. Hina remembered the guilt she'd felt for having caused such a thing, but he quickly recovered and waved the apology off.

"'s fine, it's fine..." A few more coughs got the most of the chemical out of his lungs. "Aren't you done, yet? I have to take you to the school in ten minutes."

"Ten minutes!?" She cried, grabbing her phone and seeing the time. "I haven't even started on my makeup yet...I'm gonna be so late. Kenzo's gonna think I stood him up."

"Why does your hair look like that?" He asked, pointing at the strange lumps and odd curls she'd tried in various places on her head. She sighed, digging out her makeup bag to begin the application.

"I can't figure out how to style it...but now this is all I have time for. Guess I'll be the laughing stock this year..."

"Just put it in a braid or something." He suggested.

"I've never been able to do it on myself. It's a weird angle, and it just doesn't work out..." She said in defeat, opening her mascara bottle and leaning forward to apply the stuff. Her eyes looked glassy in her reflection.

Daichi stared at her, finally sighing before settling himself behind her and grabbing the brush from the counter. "Stay still, or this might not look right."

"What are you-?"

"If we're gonna leave on time, do your make up while I fix your hair. But don't expect this to be a regular thing. Just wouldn't want everyone laughing at a Hitagawa..." He grumped, brushing out the kinks in her hair and smoothing out the areas that the hairspray had made stiff.

At first Hina said nothing, but the mirror made it obvious that she was struggling not to cry from gratitude. "Thank you."

Again, the scene faded, and Hina turned to her brother. "Why did you show me that one?"

He didn't answer immediately, eyes away from her and staring into the darkness. "It was just on my mind..."

A tiny little spark bloomed in her chest. That maybe there was an inkling of the old Daichi in there somewhere. Why else would he have uncovered a memory like that? "How come you didn't go to the dance that year? I know several girls had asked you."

The hard edge returned to his gaze. "I was basically under house arrest. Dad didn't trust me not to use my quirk, so he restricted what school functions I could go to."

How quickly the hope died away. Hina sighed. The darkness brightened until she was sitting chained to the floor again, back in touch with reality. Daichi stared down at her coldly again, expression hard.

"I was watched like a hawk growing up, for any sign that I might snap. That house...was so stifling, so rigid and structured...it felt like little more than a prison. And trust me, I'd know the difference." He spat. "For awhile, after my little outbursts in school, I tried doing it the hero's way. I tried bending over backwards to keep myself in check and follow the rules. But in the end I just felt this...pressure. Like my quirk was building up inside me and would explode at any moment. It was an awful feeling. Those were the worst years of my life."

He put on a mocking smile, a huff escaping his lips. "And even then, Mom and Dad still fucking watched me closely. Even when I was good, they didn't trust me not to snap. So I gave up trying. I realized that they'd never accept what I wanted, that I'd always have to be someone I wasn't until they weren't part of my life anymore. When they died...I'd never felt so...free."

Hina looked away. What was she to say to that? She'd had no experience with such things growing up, her outlook on their family happy and healthy. To see it from his perspective was...disappointing. Due mostly to the fact that even after witnessing it, she still couldn't relate to what he felt.

"Daichi..." She started, choosing her words carefully. "You can rehabilitate. You can still be who you want to be, even by following the rules, somehow. We can find a way. Just let me help you. You can redeem yourself from the stain of being a villain-"

"No." He cut her short. "Look at all the heroes I put down. You think anyone would accept me after that? You think I care about them accepting me? I'm no villain, Hina. I never was. I'm the one who should be calling the world a villain, for trying to stamp it's foot on who I am."

"You still hate me, don't you? For arresting you? _Oof-_!" She doubled over in pain as his foot shot out and kicked into her chest. Curling into herself protectively, she coughed as the pain began to radiate stronger where it had connected.

"What do you think?" Came his reply. But another kick didn't come, thankfully. "My own family, throwing me in prison. It'd make _anyone_ a little angry. I may have hated Mom and Dad most, but you'd never done anything to snub me out. But then, after you helped lock me away, and this...I realized you're just the same as them."

"You left a young woman traumatized." Hina stated hoarsely in defense, slowly gaining her breath back. "You would have done the same to me, and anyone else who got in your way. What else was I supposed to do?"

"I'm sick of talking about this. You won't understand, no matter how much I explain." He said simply with a furious glare. "Just like mom and dad never did."

Hina grunted out in pain, feeling the second round of his assaults jab into her mind, and she hastened to her safe space, once more holding back the blows to her psyche.

* * *

Night had fallen. Exhausted from the hours of probing at Hina's head, Daichi had stopped and elected to get some rest. To recharge and recuperate his strength to begin again in the morning. He left Hina as she was, chained to the floor and shutting off the lights as he'd left.

Hina tried getting some sort of rest on the floor of the building she was trapped in, but sleep wouldn't come. Her fears of the morning kept her awake, kept her constantly thinking. The room had left nothing to use as a means to escape, but desperation bred creativity.

Desperation also bred plans with a zero chance of success.

So she reached out. Just as she'd done in the ruins of Kamino Ward, Hina extended her quirk, struggling and failing to push it past the borders of her concrete prison. No one in sight, she was utterly useless, but she knew without a means to communicate, Daichi would win. He'd eventually break her, no matter how strong she was or how long she'd trained, he had the advantage of time on his hands.

Left weak and tired, she would constantly be fighting an uphill battle. And then she'd break. And then he'd win. She couldn't allow that to happen, afraid of what might transpire if he got his hands on their grandfather's ring. The strength it could provide him, the destruction he could cause...

Eyes glowing, she pushed, desperate for some sort of way to overcome her quirk's biggest weakness. She'd heard of hero's making breakthroughs with their quirks late into their careers, pushed into a life-threatening or harrowing situation, which gave them the motivation needed to create a miracle super move, or technique never thought of before. Hina was hoping for something similar, but knew the chances were slim.

Panting from exhaustion, she kept searching, hopeful that somehow, someway, she'd connect with someone.

* * *

A/N- Hmm. Things aren't looking good. Will she be able to find a way to escape? or will Shouta find her first? We'll just have to wait and see...

As always, don't forget to follow and favorite if you're enjoying the story so far. And any and all feedback is much appreciated! Tell what you like or don't like about the story, and how you think I could improve. I'd be super grateful. :)


	32. Chapter 32

A/N- Hiya, I'm back again! Is Hina still holding out? We shall see...

**Otakugirl1996-** Thank you! I'm glad you think it clears some things up. :)

**musiome-** Lol, you're welcome.

**BlackBirdInTheNight-** Same here, they are definitely the more interesting to me. There are two sides to every story, not everything is black and white.

**poprockie-** Yay, I'm glad you are enjoying! :D

Onwards!

* * *

Most nights, Musutafu city was a beautiful sight. Truly, it was. Aizawa always made sure to appreciate it when he could, given the nature of his job and the unpredictability of villain attacks. You never knew when it would be your last night alive. The rooftops afforded him a great view of it all, and it was a small reason he preferred the high ground to watch for crime, rather than down on the streets where he now found himself.

Tonight was different. The air was clear and the city's lights were twinkling off in the distance as the evening owls came to life down on the streets as usual. But here in the less occupied portion of the city, where industrial buildings and older infrastructure sat empty now that the working day was over, the erasure hero couldn't bring himself to care how pretty it would have looked from up on the rooftops.

Hound Dog walked beside him, occasionally sniffing the air for any sign of the scent he was tracking. His dog-quirk allowed him a very reliable nose, and he used it to full effect now. It was a long shot, considering it had been more than a day since Hina had disappeared, but the UA counselor had insisted on trying anyway. Leave no stone unturned. No avenue untried. Aizawa wouldn't turn down assistance, especially if by some miracle it brought him the information he needed to find his missing partner.

The dog-like man gave another loud sniff, before stopping in place and raising his head to the air. Aizawa stopped, watching carefully at the sudden change in behavior. "Anything?" He asked.

After a moment of intense concentration, Hound Dog shook his head, before holding out his hand. "Let me get another sniff."

Masking his disappointment, he held out one of Hina's shirts he'd taken from inside her apartment and allowed him to get a noseful of its scent. The counselor straightened and began walking again once he was satisfied he could pick it out from anything else, stopping beside the alleys and small alcoves between buildings as they came across them.

At this point, they could only hope to come across her scent wherever she was actively being kept, rather than a trail leading to her. With all of the intermingling smells of people walking the streets during the two days of her being missing, it would have surely dispersed anything Hound Dog could have reasonably been able to track.

Another few blocks and still no sign. Aizawa was also on the look out for potential criminal activity, but the area was largely deserted and quiet. The sight of two pro-heroes nearby would have effectively dispelled any possible crimes for the most part. Still, part of him wanted something to do to keep his mind off of his troubles.

She'd been gone 2 days. No sign of her or the duo who'd taken her. They'd caught a glimpse of two men, one muscular and the other of slight build and red hair, in the area where she'd been taken on a corner convenience store camera, but they had managed to avoid most others on their way out. No indication as to a direction or travel or destination. It was beyond frustrating, the way they'd simply vanished form the vicinity with no trace.

The teachers of UA had upped their patrols after their day jobs were finished, searching the city when possible. Even with their combined efforts, however, there was still no further information on her whereabouts. And given the investigation itself was being kept under wraps by law enforcement, they couldn't exactly ask citizens publicly to come forward with information.

Aizawa finally sighed, stopping when he checked his phone and saw the time. Even for him, it was unreasonably early in the morning. "We've searched for several hours now and haven't found anything. Let's head back." He stated, and Hound Dog's head lowered.

"I'm sorry...I thought for sure I'd be able to pick up something and be of use to the search." He muttered guiltily with a sad shake of his head.

"There's no need to apologize." The erasure hero said in a monotone. "You did what you could."

Hound Dog looked as if he had something else to say, but only sighed inaudibly and followed after his coworker to head back the way they'd come. It was a solemn walk.

They parted ways on campus, heading the direction of their respective apartments. He glanced at the student buildings, seeing one or two lit windows on the upper floors from students who hadn't yet gone to bed. He wondered why they weren't asleep, but shrugged and continued on, figuring it was their own fault for not getting more rest.

He avoided looking at Hina's neighboring apartment entirely, grabbing for his set of keys as he approached his door. He held up the ring in the light of the lamppost, trying to discern which key was which.

"Aizawa," a voice said, which made him turn towards the walkway, "are you just now returning from patrol?"

Toshinori stepped into the light from the lamppost from further down the walkway, looking just as tired as he felt. The class 1-A teacher nodded, looking for the right key as the blonde man approached. "Yeah."

"I suppose there hasn't been any further information, then..." Toshinori sighed dejectedly, eyes closing in disappointment. "I just got back from visiting with Tsukauchi, but he didn't mention anything to me about Hina's investigation either."

"If I knew anything, I wouldn't be here right now." Aizawa said bluntly, not in the mood for much conversation at the moment. He found his front door key and pushed it into the keyhole, then stopped, feeling guilty for the bite in his tone. He released a breath. "I just wish I could do more."

Toshinori didn't say anything for a moment, and the two teachers were stuck in a moment of melancholy. The blonde man finally cleared his throat, watching Aizawa.

"I've heard the rumors going around, about you and Hina." He said carefully, and 1-A's teacher winced. "If they are true, then...she must be very precious to you."

Another stale silence followed, but Aizawa finally nodded. "Yes."

"With her being gone like this, it must be difficult. I wish there was more I could do to help find her as well." Toshinori admitted, bowing his head. "But I am confident that with everyone doing their best, we will find her before it is too late."

Aizawa tried, _really_ tried, to push the brunt of what he was feeling down in the pit of his stomach to be dealt with at a later time. It was a daily chore, keeping everything in check and locked up when going about his day and his job in front of the students. But it was late. And dark. And he was tired and the worry had been building the longer she was missing, and...

The 1-A teacher twisted the key in the knob, breaking the silence, before opening the door. "As am I."

He stepped inside without looking back, wanting away from the conversation and how he could feel the pain in his chest flaring.

* * *

Cracks. Numerous thin lines spanning the width of the wall under her sweaty palms, barely visible and spider-webbing across the hard surface. But definitely _there,_ nonetheless. Hina's eyes flicked back and forth across the stone, feelings of paranoia mixed with dread that they were increasing in number and size as she watched it. Each rumble and groan from the other side made her skin crawl.

2 days of hunkering behind her mental defenses, and 2 days of straining to keep her quirk active so Daichi didn't break through. The headache to trump all that came before it had been raging nonstop, and she struggled to concentrate on anything but that constant pain anymore. That, and the need to stay alive.

Her trembling had worsened, limbs shaking from exhaustion and fear. Skin sticky and clammy from the sweat that had come and dried, Hina swallowed back a whimper as a particularly powerful hit rammed itself against the wall, causing tiny particles of the stone to fall to the sand below.

Tracks where tears had fallen down her cheeks felt uncomfortable, half dried and trailing irritatingly down her throat to dry in her shirt. She pressed harder into the wall, feeling the boom of another attack, just as strong as the one before. Her eyes closed, and this time she couldn't hold back the sob that leapt from her throat. Her lips curled back in a snarl.

The longer Daichi prodded at her consciousness, the more residual tendrils of his emotions made it past her defense. Over time, the further angered she became. Of course, her terror was most prevalent, but the proverbial fuse was growing shorter and shorter the longer it continued. What would happen when it ran out? Even Hina didn't know.

"Part of me feels bad for you, Hina." Daichi's voice called from behind the wall, sounding bored and unconcerned that he hadn't managed to break through yet. As if she couldn't feel the unbridled anger underneath his nonchalance.

"With our quirk...you could've done so much, gone so far. Even if you weren't born with the strength I was, you could have trained it to be something really incredible." He went on, and her eyes opened to glare at the wall. She couldn't respond, too focused on not losing her concentration of bolstering her defenses.

"Being a hero?" He said, and she could practically see his scoff. "The rules limit you, they weaken you. Just look where you are. Trapped behind a crumbling wall in your own head, trying desperately to hold out long enough that someone will find us here.

"Just look at what Grandpa managed to accomplish, back in his prime! If you hadn't followed your childish little dream of being a hero and actually embraced the potential of your own power, maybe you could have stopped me by now. You wouldn't have been so weak."

The anger that rose now was less a byproduct of Daichi's intrusion and more her own impatience and frustrations finally breaking through. "I'm not weak!" She yelled, knowing full well he could hear even over the sounds of rumbling.

"I help and protect people, from villains like you, that hurt and destroy for the hell of it...because you think you have some sort of right to do whatever you feel like..." She went on, breaths coming out in stuttered pants. "And I wouldn't trade that decision for anything!"

"Oh, you mean like you tried to help All Might? In Kamino Ward, right? How did that turn out for you?" He replied mockingly, and she shut her eyes again to the painful reminder of that night. Her hands clenched into tight fists against the stone. "All Might is taken off the map, hundreds of people dead, and millions in damages...I bet you being there made all the difference in the world."

"Shut up!" She shouted, voice raw and sore. "You don't know anything about that!"

"I know enough, like how All Might couldn't defeat that guy in time to avoid losing his quirk, because you and some kid were in the way." He said viciously, and Hina's chest ached further. "You were a burden to them, too weak to even defend yourself. What was a weak hero like you doing there anyway? If not for everyone else, you'd be dead."

Her fists were tight, fingernails digging crescents into the palms of her hand, and she felt two tremors shake her mental wall. Boom, boom, one right after the other. The pounding in her head, the scornful words, the exhaustion, the fear and terror and anger bubbling to the surface, it was more than she could take. She slammed her forehead into the wall out of anger, a scream bursting forth.

"_LIAR!" _

Hina felt a pulling sensation, followed closely by a cry of pain, and when she opened her eyes again, she was standing in a dazzlingly white cell. A padded cell. A prison cell...The redhead blinked, seeing Daichi nearby grabbing at his head out of reflex, grimacing from pain. 2 seconds passed before she realized where she was.

His head.

Hina had turned around and got into his own head. Somehow able to gain entry.

She hadn't meant to offensively apply her quirk, her anger directing one of Daichi's lashes back at him, but she had. And miraculously, he hadn't been putting up any sort of defense against an attack from her, so sure that she wouldn't-or couldn't-fight back against his continuous onslaught.

Hina ran for the red orb in the corner of the room, intent on forcing their location out of his memories. Now that she'd been given this opportunity, she wasn't going to squander it.

"NO!" He shouted, realizing what was happening a split second after she did, and he ran after her.

Her fingers grazed the glassy surface, providing an imprint of a location, but she felt her head torn back with a vicious yank, a fist buried in her hair dragging her away from it and sending her to the ground in a heap. She yelped from pain, but flailed and kicked and punched with as much strength as she could given the circumstances.

Her fists and feet landed a few blows, and her squirming meant that Daichi couldn't get a good hold on her, but she was still at a disadvantage. He managed to get a grip on her arm, dragging her onto her back and punching her in the face.

Grunting as he landed a few more blows, she managed to catch his arm before he pulled it back, and leaned up to sink her teeth as deep into his bicep as she could.

"_Fuck!_" He spat in pain and anger, smashing her head into the floor with her still attached by her mouth. She grunted, her head feeling like it was split open and vulnerable. Her mouth opened to cry out, and released his arm all in one.

His hand pressed her head hard into the floor, and his eyes glowed a bright cyan. The pressure in her head mounted, but she pushed back as much as she could both with her quirk and her hands and feet, refusing to let him in her head. He likewise refused to budge.

He snarled down at her, lifting her head and slamming it down into the ground again. She saw stars for a moment, nearly losing consciousness, but managing to stay awake. Her feet shuffled, trying to gain purchase against his chest or something similar, to push him up off her.

Hina choked out as he pressed harder in her head, glaring with menace and a hatred that was unmatched by anything she'd ever seen. A particularly hard press in her head forced her vision black, and the pulling sensation marked the end of her own infiltration. He'd forced her out, throwing her back into her own mind with a violent shove.

The sand between her fingers was rough and unpleasant, mixed so plentifully with the stone's particles. Daichi's presence returned, and she scrambled, crawling for the wall and planting her weakened hands against it's surface, bolstering it's strength moments before Daichi's mental hits resumed.

His attacks were fierce, angry and sadistic. They lashed and slashed angry marks on the opposite side, his emotions fueling each assault. The terrifying sound of the wall cracking further made her look upwards.

Kiwi-sized patches of the wall began to fall away to the sand on her side, the integrity weaker than it had been in years. She couldn't take much more of this, and her heart ached with the painful realization that she didn't have long.

* * *

Daichi's presence finally pulled away, releasing his quirk. She waited, thinking it to be a trick, but eventually her own eyes faded from their cyan and she found herself slumped on the cold concrete floor again.

Daichi's heavy breathing was the only stimulus she could register, besides the phantom pains coursing through her body. Hina couldn't even move to prop herself into sitting up. The pain was too great. If there was one silver lining, it was that he'd worn himself out with his uncoordinated and emotion-driven attacks, much quicker than he otherwise would have. Pouring his hatred at her had exhausted him.

His staggering footsteps left the room, and soon Hina's own stuttered breathing was the only sound remaining. Daichi would rest, eat, and drink to gain back his strength. And come the next day, he'd return to start the assault all over again, now working at a great advantage, her wall and her mental fortitude severely weakened. At this rate, she did not have faith that her strength would last through the next time.

Despite her exhaustion and spent energy, Hina could not fall asleep. The image of their location was prominently stuck in her mind, and she thought about it ceaselessly, now that she had time to think and breathe.

It had shown a familiar tea shop that Hina herself had visited several times in the past. Just behind it, an unrented shop, closed and barred from visitors. The basement was unfinished, left as storage for whatever eventual shop decided to move in.

It was barely 20 minutes from the University, and even closer to her old apartment building.

Armed with the knowledge of her location, Hina closed her eyes behind the blindfold, thinking over what had happened towards the end of Daichi's last attempt at breaking through her head.

She'd managed to connect with Daichi, despite not visually seeing him. Perhaps it had something to do with the mental connection they'd shared at the time, Hina didn't know. But somehow, she'd traversed and briefly overcome that one caveat of her quirk. Direct line of sight.

Hina activated her quirk, barely feeling the flare of her headache as it had been under intense pressure for the better part of 2 days. She sat in front of her wall, resting her forehead on it and thinking back to that moment of impulsive anger.

She remembered bracing herself forward, and involuntarily doing the same with her quirk. There hadn't been a specific target in mind, just the desire to push away anything and everything attacking her all at once. Words and attacks alike. But in the same instant, she'd also seemingly extended her power that direction too. How?

Her life now depended on figuring it out, and she began trying everything she could think of to replicate the result, hoping that somehow, it would reach past the concrete walls of the vacant shop's basement.

* * *

A/N- Hoo, boy. Hina's not doing so well. Will she be able to figure out how to push her quirk past the furthest limit? We'll just have to see in the next chapter.

As always, follow and favorite if you want to see more! And, leave a review letting me know your thoughts so far! :)


	33. Chapter 33

A/N- Not really much I can say about this chapter, other than it's a little shorter than usual. Mostly because I just didn't know what else to add. Hope you...enjoy? :p

**Otakugirl1996-** I'm glad you liked the mental fights! I was worried they'd be more filler than substance. :o

**poprockie-** Hmm...we'll see about that. ;) Lol a nice scene for sure. Same, though. A sad Aizawa is depressing.

**BlackBirdInTheNight-** Hey, that's a cool take on his character! He honestly has kind of narrowed his perspective, hasn't he? So a cell would be fitting...

**jaffa3-** You betcha he is, lol.

**Leoki-** Lol, well it is an infinite wall in both directions! So walking might take him awhile. XD

Onwards!

* * *

Hina winced, feeling her consciousness begin to waver. Her eyes dulled, the cyan glow dimming until it faded entirely, and she found herself back on the concrete floor of the vacant shop. Her breaths were weak, loud puffs in the empty room. Perhaps she should have tried to slow her breathing, the quick hyperventilating probably not helping her stay awake. But it was too much at the moment to think of anything other that the countless times she'd tried and failed to connect with someone outside the basement.

A spike of pain shot through her skull, and she grunted. All these futile attempts were wearing her out. At this rate, she'd completely lose the ability to activate her quirk from overuse, the pain bordering on a strength able to completely black her out from a single use.

It was impossible to know what time it was, the blindfold preventing any and all light from reaching her eyes. Was it morning? Daichi could walk back into the room at any moment, and Hina would be a sitting duck against his attacks. This strategy was her only chance of possibly escaping, but the results so far were less than stellar.

Hina sucked in a breath, prepping herself for one last try. It took more effort than usual to activate her quirk, her eyes behind the blindfold slowly glowing their signature bright cyan. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she pushed outwards.

There was only darkness, a nebulous void with absolutely nothing around her. She pushed and pushed, looking for someone, anything at all that could point her in the right direction. It was empty, cold. Or perhaps that was simply the realization that her demise was very close at hand, seeping into her consciousness.

She felt tears on her cheeks, and the blindfold soaked through. It sat uncomfortably on her face, chillingly cold. She sniffed, trying her best to ignore it and focus only on feeling anything at all out there in the nothingness.

"Please..." She whispered to her prison, "...show me...anyone..."

There was no response, of course. No one answered her pleas. Hina whimpered to herself, terrified that she'd die alone and in this terribly dark place. She really hadn't thought things would end like this. And the worst part was that she hadn't even told Shouta that she-

Something brushed her arm, tiny and gentle. The sensation was so startling, she nearly broke the connection from shock. Hina whipped her head around, and finally noticed what it was. It was faint-barely visible at all in the endless darkness-but there, nonetheless. A gray line. Like...string, perhaps. The redhead drew closer, seeing that it extended further into the darkness for in indeterminate length. She followed, trudging past the mounting pain like her life depended on it.

The gray line continued, and her consciousness followed, slowly, cautiously. What was this? It was endless, she thought. But, the further she followed, the more pronounced the gray became in the darkness, growing brighter and solid.

It began curving to the left, and still Hina did not give up, a small spark of hope blossoming in the pit of her chest. She had never seen anything like it before, this trail of light. There had only ever been an infinite darkness before, no matter how long or far she traversed. In Kamino Ward, and now locked in the vacant basement, there'd been nothing of the sort. Hina wasn't quite sure what she'd done differently this time, but she'd think on it later, when she was safe and away from Daichi.

The gray line curved again, this time at a right angle. She followed without fear, now searching faster in hopes of finding whatever was at the end of it. Hina barely felt the pain of her overuse, spurred to life with this newfound resolve to find help. When her eyes flickered, threatening to give out, she pushed past it and kept going.

The trail stopped, glowing a bright, nearly-white gray. And at the end of the string was an orb. Gray and bright and...familiar. Comforting. Safe. Tentatively, her fingers touched it, letting the sensation of digging deeper wash over-

"Hina?"

Eyes wide, she looked behind her, noticing the blackness had changed into UA's teacher lounge. And the man himself standing from the couch, looking shocked. Shouta's gaze dragged down her body, as if thinking this was all some sort of trick. Hina could barely believe it herself.

She'd connected with Shouta's mind, even from miles away.

* * *

"Shouta..." She muttered with relief, stumbling towards him and practically collapsing into his arms. Still reeling from the shock of being ripped away from the training with the students, he wrapped them around her tightly. It felt so real, and just as warm as she would have been had she been right beside him in reality. How was this possible?

The moment was cut short, Aizawa pulling away and holding her by her arms. "Where are you? How are you even-?"

"I don't know how, but..." She swallowed, looking worse for wear and in a panic. "Daichi and someone he's working with. They got to me when I wasn't-"

"I know it was him. _Where_ are you?" He interrupted with fervor, stopping the possible long-winded and unnecessary explanation that wasn't important right now. Anything she had to say in that regard was probably information they already knew. Her location right now was all he gave a damn about.

"Shizukesa Tea Shop, in the Ginza district." She let out in a single breath, instinctively reaching out to touch his face. He hated the desperation and destitute relief in her expression. "There's a vacant building behind it. He's chained me in the basement there."

"Are you ok?" He asked, and she shook her head in a haggard manner.

"He's...if he comes down again...I'm not going to be able to hold out, Shouta." She admitted in a sob, fear bleeding through in a way he'd never seen from her.

He held her face closer, making her look up at him. "Stay strong, Hina. I need to let the others know. Hold on just a bit longer."

She nodded, then rose a bit and pressed her lips to his, her arms wrapping themselves around his neck and refusing to let go. He kissed her with hope, with a promise to find her. Hina kissed him like she didn't ever expect to see him again. It was terrifying.

And then, in an instant, she recoiled with a heart-wrenching shriek of pain, and shattered in a myriad of fragments. He tried reaching out for her, but she was no longer there, vanished without a trace.

Aizawa snapped back into reality, blinking with a gasp as he found himself along the sidelines of Gym Gamma. The students, none the wiser, continued training their quirks in preparation of the license examinations. Beside him, Cementos noticed his out-of-place reaction.

"Are you alright, Aizawa?" He inquired casually, seeing the erasure hero hold his head and take a few steadying breaths. The man looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"Keep them training. I know where Hina is." He muttered without further explanation, turning and running out the gym's doors in a flurry of motion.

* * *

Aizawa was impressed and monumentally thankful that Tsukauchi and his law enforcement team were well-attuned to emergency and crisis situations. Within five minutes of placing a call, himself and the team of officers were accompanied by several heroes willing to help them. Present Mic and Midnight had been granted permission to go with him, after learning of Hina's successful attempt to communicate. Ryukyu and Edgeshot had both been close to the precinct at the time of the call, and joined their ranks.

Perhaps 5 heroes was a bit excessive for 2 villains, but given the nature of Daichi's quirk, Tsukauchi didn't want to take any chances.

"He's extremely dangerous. Which is why I want you to be the first to enter. Taking Daichi out of the equation is paramount to the success of this operation." He'd told Aizawa. A suggestion the erasure hero had absolutely no complaints with.

They'd located the vacant spot behind the tea shop easily, the windows boarded and a thick lock on the door to prevent people from breaking inside. It looked all but abandoned. The team of police officers had surrounded the small building, dispersing the heroes along the perimeter in case they managed to leave via an alternative exit.

Traveling to her location, setting up the perimeter, and preparing to go inside...it all passed in a blur. Usually he was focused on every small detail when participating in operations like this, intent not to miss anything. This time...was different.

Eraserhead finally snapped his goggles in place as Present Mic stepped up beside him. They exchanged a solemn nod. The radio host looked unusually serious, determined to find his missing friend.

Tsukauchi gave Ryukyu a sign to go-ahead, and she changed into her dragon form, towering above the rest of them as she approached the door. She wasted no time, letting out a grunt as she swiftly kicked in the door, sending it crashing inside in a clatter of wooden splinters. Aizawa and Present Mic were swift to slip in right afterwards, on the lookout for any sign of villains.

The first floor was empty, a wide open space lacking any furniture. They continued further in.

"She's in the basement." He reminded the voice hero, and they entered the back hallways of the establishment. Time was now of the essence. Now that their presence was known, they had to anticipate those inside to-"

"RAAARGH!" A mighty roar called, and they stopped, seeing a monster of a man charging straight at them from down the hallway. He was muscular, tall, and red with anger. Too quick and with too little room to evade, the man barreled straight into them, forcing them back outside and into the mass of heroes and officers. Even Mic's loud scream barely fazed the villain, perhaps only serving to make him angrier.

He shoved them both to the concrete, crushing them into the hard surface with another resounding roar. The officers shouted for him to stand down and surrender, but he didn't appear to hear it. The sheer strength of this guy was staggering.

"A little help here!" Present Mic called, knowing that Ryukyu was probably the only one that could handle the strength of this guy.

The weight of the muscular villain was alleviated, as the dragon hero's tail swept him off of the UA teachers, sending him launching into the opposite wall in a clatter of bricks. Ryukyu stepped between him and the rest of the heroes, preparing herself. "I'll handle this one. Go and find the other."

Recovering to their feet quickly, Aizawa lead the others through the door again. It was a small building. Finding the stairs leading to the basement was quick and easy. Still no sign of the redhead. They heard the sounds of combat above them as they descended the stairs, the muscular villain giving those that stayed behind some trouble, but Aizawa purged it from his head the moment he opened the door and spotted the redheaded man they'd been looking for.

Facing sideways to them, his eyes glowed a bright cyan blue. The same color Hina's shown when using her quirk. Eraserhead's glared a blood-red crimson as his hair and capture weapons began to levitate, cutting off his quirk. Daichi blinked and staggered back in surprise.

"No-!" He began in a snarl, turning to look at the intruders but unable to as the capture weapon wrapped itself around his head, cutting off his vision for good. Present Mic followed up with a kick to the stomach, sending him tumbling to the ground and pressing his face into the concrete of the basement. The other end of Aizawa's capture weapon wrapped painfully snug around his wrists, keeping him in place with no chance of escape. Still, he didn't want to take any chances and kept his quirk going.

Another rumble and crash above, and one of the officers got a radio message requesting backup. "Go and help the others. He's not going anywhere." Aizawa promised darkly, and the officers nodded. As far as things were concerned, the situation was under control here.

"Move out!" The officer called, and they retreated back out the door to assist with the muscular villain.

Daichi panted, winded, into the floor, not bothering to try resisting. His mouth was turned in a sneer. "There's no way you should have found this place..." He muttered, angry and bitter by this turn of events. His goal was so close, yet so far away now that he was under arrest again.

Despite having noticed the redhead woman laying unmoving on the ground from the moment he'd walked in, Aizawa didn't dare take his gaze off of her villainous brother.

"Check to see if she's ok." The hero said.

Present Mic scrambled over, gently turning her to her back and removing the blindfold, but Daichi was already laughing from the floor at their pathetic attempts at help.

"I'd say she's the furthest from ok."

"Shut up." Aizawa spat with venom, and Daichi smiled wider.

"Hey, I recognize your voice, hero. Eraserhead...right?" He guessed, and Aizawa responded by tightening the bonds around his eyes for good measure. "Heh...you're in so many of her memories. But didn't you know...as the last man of the Hitagawa bloodline...you're supposed to get my blessing before you date my precious little sister."

Jaw clenching, Aizawa kicked the redhead in the face, shutting him up and knocking him unconscious. He fell limp against the floor, and the erasure hero finally felt he could look away from the captured villain without having his mind torn apart. His hair fell back into place, and he stepped towards Present Mic.

The blonde man looked worried, patting at the redhead's pale face insistently. He turned to look at his friend. "She's not waking up."

Aizawa pushed away the fear that rose up with his statement, holding up the chains. "We need something to break through these. Maybe Edgeshot can cut them."

"I'll call for a medic." Mic promised, before rushing back upstairs to get the appropriate help.

Aizawa knelt and placed her head in his lap, searching her body for injuries. She seemed otherwise unharmed, but pale and obviously drained. Seeing her use her quirk at the hospital, he knew that the quirk-related injuries wouldn't leave marks, but would hurt all the same. The unseen damage was untold, and worrying.

Her skin was cold, but her chest rose and fell with shallow breaths. A quick check ensured she indeed still had a pulse, but she was otherwise out cold.

He _couldn't_ have been too late. He refused to believe it.

* * *

A/N- Were you expecting me to be give you what you wanted? Were you expecting a good outcome, and a happy ever after? Silly readers...I am a cruel and merciless god. Either way, if you somehow still don't hate my guts, go ahead and give this story and follow and favorite, and maybe leave a review while you're at it. Go ahead, I'm ready for the hate reviews. Give me the best you've got. ;)


	34. Chapter 34

A/N- I'm back again. Have you died from curiosity yet? ;)

**jaffa3-** Oh, man. You know I wanted him to get beat the fuck up, but that doesn't sound too much like what a hero would do, yeah? :P

**PippinSqueaks-** Fight me, bro. *Throws down my Snuggy menacingly*

**Leoki-** Perhaps, perhaps...nothing is smooth sailing in things like this. :)

**Otakugirl1996-** No need to beg, here you go, lol. :)

**poprockie-** Because this story is a lose-lose for everyone, lol. Yeet.

**RulerOfCats-** Sad to say, this one is short as well! D:

**musiome-** I mean...she did accomplish _part_ of what she was going for? :P

**mimi4animax-** HERE YOU GO THEN!

**a reader-** Well, I'm glad I gave you what you wanted then! :)

* * *

She was extraordinarily pale. Hina had always been fair-skinned, no doubt in due part to her father's lineage-redheads generally had much lighter skin than others, and she'd clearly inherited most of the heritage- but Aizawa had never seen her like...this. Not even after Kamino Ward, when she'd been injured and coated in the debris.

The hospital gown not covered by the bed's thin sheet wasn't doing her any favors, washing her already ghostly complexion out, and her hair that he'd always have labeled as crimson now could only be described as the color of blood in comparison. Her physical condition was normal. But her mind...that was a different story.

Other than a simple IV to keep her hydrated, at least he was spared the sight of numerous tubes and life-sustaining apparatuses keeping her alive, or the other heroes who had been affected by Daichi's abilities. The room with the original victims had been too crowded to fit another bed, and so they'd found a separate room for her. The constant beeping of the monitoring machines was a persistent grate on Aizawa's ears. A reminder that he'd been here before. And at _that_ time, his girlfriend had been awake and aware. It was a painful contrast.

Nezu and Toshinori stood beside the 1-A teacher, regarding her solemnly. The doctor in charge of those patients who'd been rendered comatose by Daichi's quirk checked her condition, explaining to the small principal all he knew.

"Physically, she's fine." He stated, taking a stethoscope and placing it just below her collar bone to listen to her breathing. "Mentally, however, I couldn't begin to say what is wrong. We don't have the means necessary to check that sort of condition."

"Is there another hospital who can assist with possible treatment? Perhaps someone with a mental quirk?" Nezu asked seriously, and the doctor shook his head, seemingly satisfied with the sound of her lungs.

"Here in Japan? No. As it happened, Scarlet Seer was the only other person besides her brother capable of reaching them at all in this state. Commissioner Jino requested her assistance with the other victims, as I know you're aware, Eraserhead." He went on, nodding to Aizawa. The man barely registered being spoken to, staring at Hina's expressionless face. "Everything we know about these patients' conditions is due to her help. The most I can say is that it is likely there is severe damage to her psyche or...consciousness, as she put it."

The door at the end of the room opened, and the police Commissioner walked through, eyes drawn to the bed with a hard expression. He'd always been a taciturn man, all business and no nonsense, but the disappointment marking it now made him look ten years older. He approached the UA staff and gave a slight bow.

"Has there been any change?" He asked, and the doctor shook his head. Jino sighed. "That is unfortunate. I was so hopeful that the damage Daichi caused wouldn't be as extensive as the other victims."

"And what of her brother?" Aizawa asked bluntly, almost afraid of why the Commissioner was here. A social visit seemed so out of place for him. If something had happened to the transport taking him to the prison-

"Securely locked away behind Tartarus' walls." Jino confirmed quickly, no doubt happy that the villain was finally apprehended. "He awoke from being knocked unconscious not long ago, but the medical facilities there have him on a high amount of quirk-suppressing medications, so it is unlikely he is much of a danger at the moment."

The others nodded, a stale moment of silence settling over the room's occupants.

Jino cleared his throat. "Scarlet Seer once mentioned that repairing the damage Daichi dealt would take a skilled telepath. Other than Daichi himself, there is no one else in Japan who could fit that bill."

"I can put in some calls to my associates in America." Toshinori offered hopefully. "Perhaps they know of a pro who may have a similar quirk."

"I will take any help you may be able to offer up." The doctor added in with trepidation, eyes closing sadly. "There is not much else I can do for these heroes other than keep their bodies physically healthy. The rest is out of my ability to heal."

The Commissioner nodded. "I'll do what I can to reach out to the Embassy and request other international assistance. They should have registries for certain quirk types there. Maybe telepathy is one of them."

"Let us hope." Nezu turned to look upon the Life Skills teacher once again. The doctor finished up his examination, and regarded the men seriously.

"You may stay for visitation if you'd like. Take all the time you need." And with that, he left out the door.

Commissioner Jino cleared his throat again, looking down at the unconscious hero. "I simply wanted to stop by and reassure you that Daichi was indeed apprehended, to give a small amount of...closure, if you will. It isn't much but, given the circumstances, I'd say any win at all is something to be thankful for."

Aizawa didn't entirely agree, and there was a heavy void that lingered after his statement.

"My condolences." Jino finally said, bowing slightly at the waist again before he too left the room, plunging the room into a stiff silence for another time.

Nezu gave a small sigh, weighing his words carefully. "I will see what I can do to help with the expenses for her treatment. There may be a workplace injury fund available that I can pull some strings with. I'd say she's earned as such.

"In the meantime, I must consider her to be on an indefinite medical leave. Mandalay was a suitable temporary substitute, but I doubt she can continue to teach full time, given her other responsibilities." Nezu paused, not savoring his conclusion. "For now, I will need to arrange a new teacher to permanently take her place."

For some reason, that hurt more than Aizawa would have expected. Another Life Skills teacher? Someone that wasn't Hina...Of course, there'd been the teacher who was employed before the redhead had been hired on three or so years ago, but it seemed so far in the past now, he could barely remember the woman's name or what she'd looked like. Hina's presence at UA had become so natural and comfortable to him...replacing her with someone else just felt...wrong.

It felt like they were giving up, as illogical as it may be.

It made sense. UA couldn't go without a Life Skills teacher, and none of them had a clue if she would wake up from this ordeal. Aizawa instantly kicked himself internally. When. _When_ she woke up. Hina was _going_ to wake up. She had to. She hadn't spent all those weeks training herself to become stronger to be put down because they'd been just a little too late. It just...wasn't possible. Right?

Toshinori and Nezu had continued to speak about the subject but, so caught up in his head, Aizawa hadn't heard a word of it. He gaze was fixed on just how lifeless she looked. He could so easily envision the cock of her brow when he said something that amused her, or the way her head tilted when she smiled. And that damn smile. He hadn't wished to see it as much as he did now. He refused to ponder if he would really never see it again.

"-zawa?"

The man blinked, realizing that Toshinori had called his name. He turned to look at his employer and coworker, who watched him with worry. Even _he_ could feel how emotionless his own expression was. "Hmm?"

"Are you alright?"

The 1-A teacher didn't bother responding, letting the silence weigh.

"I understand if you require a leave of absence," Nezu went on, "to take the necessary time for bereavement-"

"No." He shot the suggestions down immediately, looking away. It all sounded very hollow, however. As if he were trying to convince himself. "The best thing right now...is to stay preoccupied with making sure the students are ready for the license exam. They can't afford to fall behind."

It was a poor excuse. They all knew it. None of them mentioned it.

There was a pause, until Nezu gave a little sigh. "I may not believe it is the healthiest course of action, but I cannot force you. I would suggest, however, that you visit with a councilor to sort out-"

"I'll handle it." Aizawa finally said with a tone that brokered no argument, leaving the matter at that.

The dog-bear-mouse principal gave up, and hopped down from the stool that he'd stood on to get a better view of the unconscious hero. "Alright. I must return to the school to begin searching for a viable replacement. Until the time Hina recovers, of course." He stated, no doubt more for Aizawa's benefit than anything. As if not to dismiss his stout refusal to acknowledge anything but that slim reality.

Toshinori left only moments after Nezu, perhaps feeling that Aizawa needed to have some time alone with his comatose partner. The 1-A teacher didn't miss the pitying glance the blonde former hero had sent his way before departing out of the room. There'd been a whole lot of those in the past day or so, and there was sure to be many more.

_She's not dead yet._

* * *

Wednesdays weren't the ideal day to drink until you couldn't think straight, but Aizawa felt that there was no better time than now to really drown his emotions in alcohol. He wasn't really a frequent drinker, his time being better spent elsewhere. On special occasions and nights out with friends perhaps, but generally he didn't go overboard and knew his limits. A drunk hero was a useless hero, and he may be needed at any given moment.

Those reservations were out the window tonight. _Someone else_ could handle it.

Face red and eyelids drooping with exhaustion and emotional turmoil, he was on his third tumbler of whiskey by the time Hizashi and Nemuri showed up to keep him company at the little bar down the road from the academy he had wandered into. He didn't have the heart to ignore their texts, despite wanting to be alone with his own thoughts. They were just as close to Hina as he was. They deserved to be told what was going on and have someone there to process it all if they needed.

Eyes on the counter, Aizawa felt the seats to his left and right fill, and Midnight and Hizashi both leaned forward on their elbows. He barely even reacted to their arrival. One look at their friend's face and they seemed to realize just how bad things were, any hopes they had for good news out the window. Their shoulders and expressions fell.

They ordered their own strong drinks. Seemed everyone was getting drunk tonight, not that he blamed them. For several minutes, they simply sat together silently, drinking away and letting the alcohol dull the sting of grief. It would hurt even worse in the morning, but what could you do?

Hizashi was the first to bring up what was on all of their minds, like Aizawa knew he would. "Hina, is she...?"

"Yeah." He confirmed aloud after another sip of his alcohol. His one-word response lingered heavily between them, but he did and said nothing to soften the reality.

The radio host hero nodded slowly, taking in what they had already known but wanted to avoid accepting. "Is there any hope for recovery?"

For a long time he didn't answer, thinking over his response. "Hina's the only one who could reverse what Daichi caused. All we can do now is hope another country has a similar enough quirk to repair the damage. But the chances of that are..."

Aizawa trailed off, unwilling to finish the statement. None of them needed to be told that mental-based quirks like her were less common than the physically-altering ones. Even fewer of those went into the hero profession at all.

Nemuri gave a sob, trying her best to keep her composure and not break down in a public space like this. And Aizawa knew that she still carried a heavy guilt for leaving her alone the night Hina was taken. It all came to a head, and she couldn't handle it.

With a drunken sigh, the 1-A teacher settled his arm on her back and let her lean against him in grief as she tried to hold back her grief. "No one blames you..." He said quietly, hoping to ease her heart a bit.

Her head shook. "_I_ do..."

"Don't, Nemuri." Hizashi joined in, leaning over to put his own hand on her back as well. "We all did everything we could."

It was a stale sentiment, but true nonetheless. Aizawa knew as much. She didn't seem to agree. There was a long pause, marked only by Nemuri's muffled, stuttering breaths, and the bartender filling their drinks again. He wisely didn't say anything about the state of the three heroes and left them in peace.

They spent the next hour keeping each other company, getting progressively more drunk. But mostly to just make sure none of them were alone. A reminder that they still had each other, no matter what.

* * *

A/N- Another shorter chapter, but still...noteworthy? Maybe.

As always, don't forget to follow and favorite if you enjoyed, and be sure to leave a review!


	35. Chapter 35

A/N- How's this for an update? ;)

**LordGrims-** Someone really should put some caution signs near those cliffs, eh? :P

**musiome-** I think we all do! Oh, speaking of which...

**Otakugirl1996-** Don't we all? I'm missing her myself, actually...

**Leoki-** Hopefully soon! Maybe...sooner than you think?

**BlackBirdInTheNight-** Thank you! I was never very good with really dramatic scenes of grief so...quiet and peaceful suits my style a bit more anyway. :)

Onwards!

* * *

The door to the hospital elevator dinged and opened wide. Casually dressed, Aizawa stepped out, happy to see that there was no one around. A majority of the lights were off due to the late hour, plunging most of the sterile white hallways in shadow. Only the occasional safety light was on, and he walked underneath them to the end of the hallway. His steps echoed in the emptiness. He'd been here too many times to still call it creepy.

A nurse's station at the end of the hallway was the only thing brightly lit on this floor. A single female nurse sat reading a book at the desk, eyes scanning the pages with alarming speed. Nami, as he'd learned her name was, working the night shift as usual. She looked up upon hearing his footsteps, and gave him a sympathetic smile. Her encouraging nod was all the permission he needed to proceed to the patient room further down the hallway.

Despite being after the hospital's posted visiting hours, Nami had proclaimed that she'd make an exception for him, given the circumstance. Of course, part of him suspected that she was some sort of fan, and was doing it as a favor to him. It was hard to tell, but she was nice enough.

"Don't get in trouble for my sake." He'd told her on his first visit, but she'd waved his statement away rapidly in response.

"No, no! It's fine, really..." Her eyes had misted over, expression sorrowful. "I heard what happened to Scarlet Seer...and if you're visiting so late like this, I can't help but wonder how important she is to you. In that case, you definitely need to be there for her whenever you can! My coworker never comes in until after 2 am, and there's no harm in having you here. I mean, you're a hero, so you're not up to anything troublesome anyway..."

Nami had a hard time looking him in the eyes, and she flustered on in a stuttering ramble. "I know being a hero and teacher probably takes up so much of your time...I won't say anything to anyone, I promise. It's even...almost like the plot of a romance book, or something..."

Aizawa hadn't been sure what to say to that. He'd just moved on, and for the next few nights come to visit Hina after hours to avoid most of the other traffic of the hospital staff. Nami hadn't said more than a passing greeting since then, probably too embarrassed to acknowledge her behavior when they'd first spoken. He didn't mind, not really in the mood for conversation when he came here anyway.

He hadn't gone on patrol in nearly a week. It probably would have kept his mind occupied and off of what was bothering him, but he couldn't bring himself to miss his visit with Hina. Deciding not to think about it, he approached the patient room door and pushed his way inside.

It was dark. There really wasn't a need to have the lights on, given Hina's condition, but Aizawa couldn't help but feel disappointed by it. Like an unconscious dismissal of her recovery chances. Something about leaving a light on, in case she woke up...he sighed, unsure what to really conclude. All he knew was that it bothered him. He shrugged off his jacket and set it on the back of the chair, sitting on the edge and looking over at the redhead.

Her expression was lax and soulless. The way it never changed, one would think she were made of glass or stone. Some sort of lifeless mannequin. It hurt to think about. Her chest rose and fell underneath the hospital gown, proving she was alive, but lacking any trace of life at all. The contrast was jarring.

He reached over and took her hand in his, running his thumb over her knuckles. The skin was warm, as it had always been. Another testament that she was indeed still alive. Faintly, he could feel the pulse of her heart push the blood through her veins. Tiny little validations of life.

"Midnight wanted to come and see you, but I don't think she's completely forgiven herself yet." He said to the empty room, his voice low and quiet. He remembered hearing somewhere that coma patients often recalled hearing their loved one's voices when they awakened. Aizawa figured it was worth a shot, and it may just help him deal with his own feelings.

"Hizashi and I keep telling her it isn't her fault, what happened...but you know how stubborn she can be. Maybe it's just the feeling of helplessness that won't let her believe it. We all feel it, that there's nothing we can do. And I know you'd tell me that I shouldn't take everything on, but..."

The machines keeping her IV going and monitoring her vitals beeped softly, and for awhile he just listened to them. His train of thought began meandering in the direction of his coworkers, and how hard the past week had been for them all. But he eventually sighed.

"I'm sorry for not being there when you needed me. I never doubted you were strong, but if I'd have gotten there five minutes sooner...maybe you wouldn't be here." He said, admitting aloud what had been building up in his mind since he'd first seen her lying on the floor of that shop's basement. It wasn't something he'd ever admit to Hizashi or Nemuri, but to her and himself, it felt nice to get off his chest. "Maybe if I had approached you sooner with training, or pushed you harder or more often...there must have been more I could have done to prepare you..."

His words trailed away, swallowing back the rising guilt, telling himself that logically, he knew he'd done all he could, and there was no use wishing for an altered past. A few even breaths and after a moment of composing himself again Aizawa changed the subject, knowing that Hina wouldn't want him talking like that. He could practically hear her chastising him for the self-deprication.

His throat cleared. "The students are doing well. They'd fallen behind after the training camp attack, but this intensive training has really helped bring them up to speed. Most have at least developed a super move or two, and Midoriya seems to have made a breakthrough with his quirk. With luck, he'll stop breaking bones every time he uses it. It's hard to imagine he's the same kid who took the entrance exam back then...

"Their license exams are in a few days and most are nervous. But if they use what they've learned, they'll do fine. I know they will." He summarized hopefully, knowing that she'd want to know about the students. They were remarkably similar in that regard, the care she felt for her students nearly on par with his own.

Another thought occurred to him, the endless questions from his students coming to mind. "Nezu broke the news to the students yesterday. Everyone keeps asking how you are, and when you'll get better. They're worried and want to see you. The staff and police department have agreed to deny the students as visitors until further notice, though, since we want to keep their concerns to a minimum. I think they're doing something for when you get back, from what I understand. So you'll have something to look forward to..."

Aizawa felt a sudden wave of ridiculousness, as if realizing for the first time that he was talking to an empty room, at midnight, when he should be out patrolling or sleeping and preparing for the next day's lessons. This one-sided conversation was uncomfortable. There was very little chance she could even hear him, and part of him wondered if Nami was listening outside the door to hear everything he might have to say. Probably fueling her 'romance novel' fantasies she seemed so caught up in.

It passed as quickly as it had come, and he found himself staring at the hand he held in his own. Whatever might help her recover, no matter how trivial, he didn't mind. He only hoped that he wasn't holding out for nothing. That somehow they'd find a way to wake her up and repair her psyche. So far, All Might hadn't had any luck, and neither had the police Commissioner. Their international requests had yet to pan out.

It was difficult to keep the faith when there was no progress.

"Nezu has hired a replacement for you." He added as an afterthought, watching the way her chest rose and fell with even breaths. "Some hero from Jaku City. I've never heard of her before. I know she's doing an adequate job, but..." His brow furrowed, a sense of deja vu washing over him. "...work's just not the same without you there."

Her silent response made him sigh, and his hand gave her's a light squeeze. Aizawa sits in silence for several minutes, just spending time with his unresponsive partner, before telling himself that he couldn't justify staying any longer that night. He did still have lessons to teach the next morning, which would be specially important given how soon the license exams were. And knowing Hina, she'd antagonize him about not getting enough sleep had she the ability to at the moment.

The teacher brushed aside some hair from her forehead and brushed his lips against her skin, before standing to leave. He snatched his jacket from the chair and tucked it under his arm, grabbing for the door handle.

He'd never been that great at goodbyes. But he did leave the light on for her. Just in case.

* * *

She'd felt the very moment that her mind had shattered. It had come with an indescribable pain, of a variety that Hina had never experienced before. Not physical, but she could still feel the remnants of it deep into her soul. She'd screamed into the black void as she was forced out of Shouta's mind and back into her own.

Hina had watched as the walls in her head crumbled and dissolved away in a whirlwind of destruction, the beach disappearing and the sand beneath her hands sinking away into blackness until there was nothing left. Daichi had stood above her, watching her with a coldness that chilled her to the bone.

And then he'd touched the glowing blue orb, face deep with concentration. Replacing him and everything she'd become familiar with were...things she'd never be able to purge from her mind. Things she'd wished never to have been able to visualize at all. Like he'd plunged her into the deepest depths of her own personal hell.

Daichi didn't hold back, forcing the worst he could conjure from the contents of her memories into her head. The director of a sadistic play, taking those she loved and starring them in a nightmare of his own vicious design. If Hina hadn't been terrified of their mutual quirk before, she certainly was now.

Familiar faces twisted in expressions of unimaginable pain, or death, or sheer horror. The students, so young and with so much potential. She'd never seen so much suffering and agony from them. She wished she never had. Scenarios crafted by Daichi's own hatred.

Her brother must have been able to glean Shouta's importance to her from her memories, because he starred in many a terrifying play. Cruelly tortured, Hina forced to watch, but she wasn't sure who was suffering more between the both of them. Telling herself none of it was real helped less and less the more she was forced to witness.

Her voice had given out in short order, half of the screams echoing around her coming from her own throat.

It hadn't taken long for the nightmarish images to render her palsied, her mind assaulted by one scene after another, meant to break her and then make sure she'd never recover again. And when it all boiled to a point when she didn't think she could take anymore, it all shattered. The shimmering blue shards of what was once her mind exploded outwards, becoming little stars in the black, inky skybox.

Daichi was gone. Everything was gone. Hina lay naked, shivering in the dark, staring off into the endlessness. Tears leaked from her eyes, and she felt them slide down her cheeks onto the surface she rested on. A tiny, cold puddle formed under her cheek. And despite the raging hellscape fading into the shadows, she could still feel the remains of it's effect lingering there, waiting for her to look close enough and find it.

She couldn't be certain how long she'd been there, crying and trying her best to keep the worst of the nightmares at bay. Days? Weeks? Was time even passing? Hina didn't know. It didn't really matter now, did it? Daichi had won. He'd broken her, and no doubt learned the location of their grandfather's ring. She'd doomed her home, too weak to have held him back. He'd proved in one fell swoop that she had never been a hero, in the end.

For a long time, she waited, wondering if help would come. She needed someone strong. A hero...a _real_ hero, to rescue her. So the redhead waited and waited for what seemed like an eternity.

And as the hours or days or months passed without hunger or rest, she finally cast her gaze up for the first time. At the smattering of blue crystals that had once been her foundation. They sparked and reflected some sort of light source that she couldn't see. It made her sad to look at the remnants of what she used to be, but now that she watched them, she couldn't pull her eyes away.

They slowly rotated, spinning and dancing in the darkness. For another few weeks, she just watched how they moved, allowing them to keep her mind off the horrors awaiting in the dark recesses of this void.

Over time, one eventually made it's way closer to her. The shard glimmered, and she reached up to enclose it in her palm. The sharpness sliced her skin, and she yanked it away, feeling blood well up where the edges had cut. But underneath that pain, underneath the blood, she'd seen something. Not a nightmare...

A memory. A flash of a smile, a moment of nervousness, and a pair of gentle eyes she recognized.

Fighting against the pain her body was in, she sat up, staring at the shard that she'd touched. This fragment...it contained a memory. One she didn't have to hide away from. Stretching her aching muscles, she crawled forward and tentatively reached out again, this time clutching the shard in her fist and ignoring the sharp pains it caused to her palm.

_The students will be on their way soon for the match. You should start preparing._

Unlike before, Hina wasn't inserted directly into the memory, but simply viewed it from an outside perspective. Through a looking glass.

_I know, I'm just... _

_Stalling? You're nervous. _

_Yeah..._

She watched as Shouta frowned, lifting her chin so she would look at him. The concern in his expression, mixed with his usual determination that she see her own worth...it made her smile.

_I know that look, stop it. Enough with the negative thoughts. It's ok that you're nervous, but get rid of the idea that you're weak or going to fail. Give yourself a chance and stop thinking about it so much._

"Shouta..." Hina muttered in despair, but the familiarity and comfort of hearing his voice was...uplifting. Her fingers clenched around the crystal, sending lightning bolts of pain through her hand. She felt the warm drip of blood between her fingers.

_I'm aware that I'm my own worst enemy, Aizawa. But saying I'll have more confidence in myself is easy compared to actually acting on it._

She'd been so quick to put herself down back then, and Hina realized that she was doing the same thing now. All that time, growing stronger and growing confident in herself...Daichi had dashed it all with little more than a flick of his hand-

No. Hina had done it to _herself_. She closed her eyes, shutting out the memory and ignoring the rest of the scene. She was discrediting all of her hard work, laying here and wallowing in fear and sorrow, while her friends were out there, no doubt doing everything they could to bring her back. Shouta had always had faith in her. Throughout everything she'd been rebuffed by, he had been her quiet and sturdy rock to cling on to.

One failure, and she was down for the count? Shouta would call that a one-and-done hero. Shouta had failed to protect the students at USJ, but he'd picked himself up and vowed for it not to happen again. And even when it had, he'd done everything he could to learn from it and be better for whatever came next. The man never let failure stop him from being better. From rising past the obstacles that confronted him.

She bit her lip, scrunching up her face and taking several deep breaths. Hina wasn't going to sit here and waste away in a prison of Daichi's making. No. _No._ This would be another obstacle that Hina would overcome. Allowing this to break her would solidify the idea that she was weak. And all she'd accomplished to get herself here would be for nothing. Hina was _not_ weak.

Her story would not end here.

"Baby steps..." She whispered to herself through labored breathing, shuffling to sit on her heels with the shard still in her hand. Blood dripped from her fist, but she ignored the sharpness. The redhead wobbled to her feet, standing on shaky legs and looking around reluctantly.

The darkness seemed to pulse, terrifying monsters and nightmares just inches behind it's veil, but she looked instead at the blue glimmers of shards in the air. She hobbled closer to a larger one, reaching out with her uninjured hand to touch it.

It sliced her fingers, but flashes of her memories passed the very moment she touched the surface. A memory of teaching the students at UA. She recognized the lesson. It was from months before.

Unsure of what to do now, Hina glanced between the shards she had, touching them together, however, nothing happened. Her teeth gritted, the feeling of knives intensifying the longer she held onto the blue fragments of crystal. Shaking her head, she released both and watched as they floated in place in the emptiness.

Warm blood splattered onto the floor, and she looked down at the cuts now marking her palms. Thin, red lines spilled with her life essence, but she clenched them again, looking up and thinking hard.

How was she supposed to fix the damage Daichi had done? This was an aspect of their quirk she'd never explored, never having had the need to learn something like that. If he could figure out how to break a mind, then perhaps Hina could devise a way to fix one.

The redhead hesitated, closing her eyes for a moment. After days of constant quirk use, she wasn't sure how it would feel to use it now. She couldn't even tell how long her mind had had time to recover from it. The passage of time was a strange concept in the void. Would it be painful? Well, there was only one way to find out.

Her eyes flashed a cyan blue, activating her quirk, and she immediately shut it off, terrified by the horrifying images that assaulted her from the darkness. The screaming cut off the moment she stopped, and she covered her face with her bloody hands. Her breathing came out in rough pants, scared and shaking.

"No..." She muttered, slowly drawing her hands away to stare at the darkness again. "...it's not real...it's not real..."

Activating her quirk brought with it Daichi's nightmarish echoes. She wouldn't be able to make any progress without encountering the worst that he'd shoved into her mind. She'd have to face it all over again. And this time, she'd have to try to figure out how to repair the damage whilst reliving it. Fuck.

Hina didn't want to do this. She really didn't. It would be painful, and terrifying. And she honestly didn't know if she had the mental fortitude to push through. Or even if the plan would work. But every fiber of her being knew she had to try. Any possibility of failure be damned.

Setting her face and releasing one last breath, she activated her quirk and snatched the bloodied shards again.

* * *

Mid-morning on the 4th floor was generally pretty quiet. After breakfasts and morning bathroom trips were done, most patients settled down to watch tv or read, or otherwise occupy themselves until later in the day. There was always the odd call requesting a new book or asking about their treatment, but otherwise, the nurses were left with general housekeeping to do at the station.

Those on shift that morning hadn't been anticipating the bloodcurdling scream to come from the one room they hadn't expected _any_ sort of noise to come from. They'd all frozen in place, too shocked and scared to initially react, before the urgency of the situation took hold. A patient was in need of help.

Two of the nurses scrambled to rush towards the room, not bothering to knock or wait for permission because of the frantic crying and shouting from within. They flicked on the lights and were surprised to see the redheaded hero shivering and thrashing at the thin tubes attaching her to the IV rig.

No amount of pleading for her to calm down seemed to work, and eventually both nurses had to step in to prevent her from pulling out what was keeping her alive. Her hysterics left any and all words on the nurses' part falling on deaf ears. Her eyes were wide, red-rimmed, and filled with horror.

"Shouta!" She finally screamed, eyes frantically searching the room as her hands shook with a worryingly noticeable tremor. The fact that they were trying to restrain her didn't seem to register at all.

"Please calm down, Scarlet Seer!" One of the nurses begged, trying not to harm but also attempting to stop her struggling. "You're safe!"

"I need to see him! _Shouta_!" She cried again, pain etching her features and a level of panic they had no clue the origination. "Please...! Shouta..."

She moaned in pain, hands still shaking. And finally one of the nurses had the good sense to run back to the nurse's station to pick up the damn phone and dial the first number they could find on her list of emergency contacts.

* * *

A/N- Yay! Looks like Hina's...back? Well, sort of. I think she'll probably have a long way to go before being completely back to normal but...we'll get there, hopefully?

As always, follow and favorite, and leave a review if you've enjoyed so far! :)


	36. Chapter 36

A/N- Another chapter? Yes indeed-y! Our Hina was a little manic last chapter...hopefully she's a bit better in this one. :o

**musiome-** Here you go then! ;P

**mimi4animax-** Good! Here you go, a reward for your patience! :D

**poprockie-** Hey thanks so much! It's interesting to hear when I have readers for different fandoms. Glad to know that lots of people enjoy multiple things I like too. :)

**Otakugirl1996-** Sounds like lots of readers need some crutches, lol. I'm sure it was, it wasn't an easy thing to do, for sure.

**jaffa3-** I liked it too! :D

**Leoki-** Well, here you go. :)

**Neko Hoshi Hime Okami-** He's a rotten egg, indeed. Perhaps not justified but...his reasons were understandable? Hopefully.

Onwards!

* * *

Aizawa heard them coming before they'd turned the corner of the hospital's third floor hallway. They really weren't subtle, and Hizashi's voice in particular had a tendency to carry no matter what environment he was in. Eyes closed and leaning back against the hallway's wall, he listened as they grew closer to where he sat on the chair the nurses had provided him with. He could tell the moment they turned the corner, hearing them call-

"Aizawa!" Came Ectoplasm's enthusiastic greeting, and the erasure hero finally opened his eyes, watching him, Snipe, Cementoss and Mic approach. "Hina is in room 335, right? We checked, but she wasn't inside."

He nodded, but stood and held up a hand to stop them from continuing forward. He stuck a thumb behind him to indicate a room further down the hallway. "She's with the psychologist. They'll be done soon, you should be able to see her afterwards."

They nodded, and settled in to wait in the hallway with the erasure hero. Snipe cleared his throat. "So...how is she? Nezu didn't go into detail when he told us she was awake."

In response, Aizawa sighed and closed his eyes with a shake of his head. "I'm not sure. She's conscious, but...she's been through a lot."

He couldn't get the image of the confusing mixture of terror and relief that filled her expression when he'd rushed into her hospital room. He'd mourned her expression's lack of life the night before, but now he was fearful of just how much her face gave away. Eyes wide, pupil's dilated into small dots. She stared at him like she was seeing a ghost. The way her hands had shaken an alarming degree, and how she'd jerked them away when he'd reached out to take them in his own hands, screaming as if in pain.

The nurses had described how she'd been inconsolable before he'd arrived, and although she'd still sobbed and took stuttering breaths after he'd shown up, she'd at least stopped struggling against her IV tubes and stopped her escape attempts.

After an hour of refusing to let him leave her side, and with the help of some sedatives to allow her to calm down, she'd finally fallen into a fitful sleep with her forehead against his chest. Aizawa had been updated on everything that had occurred beforehand, and the appropriate calls had been made to those who needed to be informed of her awakening.

Mic raised a brow, inspecting the man closer. "Yo, you're looking exhausted. Even more so than usual, which is saying something!"

He nodded, blinking away some of the bleariness in his vision. "At first, Hina would panic if she didn't see someone she recognized close by, so I stayed here last night. Her nightmares wake her up frequently. Neither of us really got any sleep."

A sympathetic wince echoed across their expressions, but they all turned to see the door to just past Aizawa open, and a tall, thin man wearing a suit stepped out, holding a briefcase. He looked up, not having expected so many people out here. He closed the door gently, then turned to greet them.

"Hello. Are you here for Scarlet Seer?" He inquired, and the group nodded.

"These are our co-workers." Aizawa explained, and the man's expression changed, holding out his hand to shake those of the fellow heroes.

"Ah, yes of course! My apologies, it took me a moment to recognize you. I work with many pro heroes, you see. I am Dr. Toshiro Fukuma, the psychologist handling her case. You are more than welcome to visit with her, but I must warn caution if you do." The psychologist said seriously, standing erect once handshakes had been given to everyone there.

"Scarlet Seer is in a state of extreme emotional instability. Her experience in her brother's captivity has had lasting impacts that we are still attempting to dissect and understand. As of yet, we are unsure if there are any 'triggers' that could worsen her state of mind, so please choose your words and questions carefully when speaking with her."

They all seemed a little stunned at the candid description, but Cementoss seemed to recover first. "Is there anything else we should know before seeing her?"

Toshiro thought for a moment, before nodding. "She speaks very little about what her brother actually put her through, so please try to avoid asking what happened. She is not ready to talk about it."

"Her hands are in a lot of pain." Aizawa added on, arms crossed. "Any wounds she has are psychosomatic, but they've bandaged them anyway to help her calm down. So it would be best not to touch her."

"Why her hands?" Snipe asked.

"Hina would probably explain it better, but from what she told me, the shards of her mind were sharp and would cut her hands as she pieced it back together. Pain she experiences while using her quirk does not leave physical wounds, but she can still feel it as if it was real." He tried summarizing, which only seemed to cause more concern in his coworkers' faces.

The psychologist cleared his throat and gave a nod. "I must go attend to other cases. But please, do not let these factors prevent you from visiting. She could use a reminder that she has many friends wishing her well. I think it would do wonders to positively lift her spirits. Good day to you all." The psychologist passed them down the hallway, returning the way they'd come.

Mic gestured to the door behind Aizawa. "Should we go in?"

"Hold on." The man said, going to the door and entering after a soft knock.

Hina sat staring out the window of the little recreational wound that the psychologist had taken her to for their appointment. Her simple white shirt and soft, cotton pants made her already pale skin even more washed out, but they were breathable and comfortable, and non-offensive. As if the wrong color would reduce her to a sobbing mess again.

Hearing someone enter, she looked up and saw Aizawa, a little smile lifting the corner of her mouth. But it was a far cry to the usual bubbly one that he was used to. She was much calmer than she had been when he'd first seen her awake, but he could clearly see the dark circles under her eyes.

"You have some visitors." He explained, and she frowned in confusion. "Snipe, Mic, Ectoplasm and Cementoss are here to see you. If you're not up to socializing, I can let them know to come back later." He offered, but her widened eyes and emphatic shake to her head dismissed that.

"No, let them come in. Please." She added, near desperation laced just under her whispered plead. "I'd like to see them."

Aizawa nodded and poked his head out of the door again, waving the other pros into the rec room.

Her wide eyes took them all in one by one as they entered, taking seats around the couches and such across from her. They all greeted her enthusiastically, but she didn't respond, just sat staring at them all as if she hadn't for ten years. Aizawa watched as her eyes began to mist over and the first few tears slid down her cheeks.

Mic noticed and held up his hands. "Oh, Hina, we're sorry! We can leave if we're overwhelming you."

"Would you like us to come back another time?" Ectoplasm asked, but she seemed to snap back into the moment and shook her head vigorously. Her bandaged and shaky hands raised slightly, as if to stop them from thinking that.

"No, no no...I'm sorry for crying, half the time I can't help it. Please stay. I'm just...really happy you're all safe and ok..." Her tiny, relieved smile returned and she looked them all over again with a profound appreciation.

Aizawa saw them all glance at him in confusion, but he just shook his head from beside her, warning them not to ask as he felt it would encroach too closely on a dark topic for her. A reminder that they didn't know what might trigger an adverse reaction. The confusion still present, they forged on ahead without questioning as to why they wouldn't have been ok in the first place. After all, _she'd_ been the one in danger.

Snipe pointed towards her hands, which he noticed she kept carefully resting on her thighs and not touching anything. They were angled so the palms faced upwards, fingers lax and separated. "Those aren't hurting you too badly, are they?"

She looked down at the twitching appendages and shrugged. "They still hurt. I think it will be awhile before they stop. They're only bandaged so I don't have to see that nothing's wrong."

"How do you mean?" Cementoss tilted his head.

"It's...hard to explain." She said, looking away and thinking about how to word it. "I know that there aren't any actual cuts there and it's just the lingering echo, I guess you could call it, but it stresses me out to feel all this pain and not see any reason for it. So I asked them to cover it all up."

"Makes sense. It's like when you feel something crawling on your arm but nothing's there!" Mic said with a shudder, no doubt thinking about bugs in particular. Hina's smile grew a little, and she nodded.

"Yeah, something like that." Her eyes dropped back to the bandages. "Part of me is still afraid that they are actually sliced up and...I'm still back in my own head. I'd rather just not even look at them."

"Well...it's great to see you back on your feet." Snipe said as a way of changing the subject away from her injuries, and the others nodded. "We didn't know what to think when we found out what had happened. No one seemed to have any answers, either."

"Any idea when they'll let you return to work?" Ectoplasm continued.

"I'm not sure. I'm supposed to see several professionals while I'm here recovering. To make sure I'm of sound mind and fit to work again."

"At least you seem to be making good progress." Mic said, gesturing to her.

"Don't let me fool you. You caught me during one of my good moments." She admitted with a sigh. "Right now, I'm being given pain and antipsychotic medication to stabilize my emotions as much as possible. I've still got a lot to work through."

"Take your time healing." Cementoss stated casually. "There is no rush back to normal."

She nodded, and for a moment, no one seemed sure of what to say next, but then Hina looked around. "How is everyone else? And the students? And...I'm sure Nezu would have needed to find a replacement for me while I was...out." She hesitated on the word, swallowing with discomfort.

"He did," Mic started with a shrug, "but they were always aware the job could be-_would_ be-temporary." He rushed to correct his wording, grimacing with worry. "They know that once you're back to 100% you'll be resuming your position."

Hina didn't outwardly seem offended by his freudian slip, and simply waited for the rest of her questions to be answered.

"They told us this morning that you were awake, so everyone knows you're alright." Ectoplasm went on. "The others wanted to come visit, but we figured we wouldn't overwhelm you and all show up at the same time. They'll try to stop by in the next day or so, depending on how you're feeling."

"Well, _Midnight_ isn't..." Mic started, and Hina looked at him.

"What is it?"

The voice hero shrugged. "She can't let go of the fact that she left you alone the night you were taken. I think she is afraid that you may resent her for leaving you."

The redhead frowned with worry. "I wouldn't. She has no reason to feel guilty for anything."

"We keep trying to tell her that. She just won't believe us." Aizawa chimed in, and she looked up at him. It was blatantly obvious that the fact her best friend didn't feel comfortable seeing her was upsetting.

"Well, I hope she comes to visit me and I can tell her myself. I still need to get a new cell phone so I can't call her. I don't blame her for what happened. She was just doing her job and it wouldn't happened...eventually."

Sensing a rising discomfort, Snipe jumped in with a clearing of his throat. "As for the students, they are very well. They're anxious to see you back at the academy. I wouldn't be surprised if you are bombarded with welcomes when you get back."

She let out a breath, eyes faraway and that tiny smile making another appearance. The teachers went on to describe their experiences helping them train for the license exams, which were scheduled to happen the following morning. Listening to them talk about the students, Aizawa could tell that it was helping distract her from the pain in her hands and the monsters in her head.

But the UA teachers only had so long for their lunch breaks, and had to leave before too long. They would have stayed longer, but it was clear that Hina was also still very tired and slightly uncomfortable, even if she was relieved to have been able to socialize with them for a time.

"If you would like us to come again, just say so. We can bring you something to eat next time we visit." Cementoss said as they all stood to leave.

"I appreciate it." She said, finally lowering her head as thanks. "And the students...I miss them very much. If you'll pass that along for me, so they know I am thinking about them."

"Of course."

With a smattering of goodbye's and promises to visit again soon, the pro heroes made their exit and left Aizawa and Hina inside the recreation room.

A silence stretched in the room, until he stalked over and gently wiped at the evidence of tears below her eyes with his thumb. She closed her eyes, allowing him to help her, before giving another small smile. She hoped her appreciation was obvious in her expression.

* * *

It was late. They'd both been given dinner from the cafeteria staff, though Shouta had had to help Hina eat her food, much to her embarrassment. Shouta hadn't seemed to mind at all, but it still left a small amount of humiliation lingering in her chest. Once he'd picked up on her discomfort and asked about it, he'd arched a brow and shrugged as if it wasn't any sort of big deal.

"How do you think I ate anything after USJ? Mic had to help me eat most of the time. It's nothing to feel uncomfortable about. Needing help isn't shameful." He'd stated, and just that simple admission had put all of her nerves at ease. Hina hadn't even connected the dots until now, that he had no use of his hands during the time he was recovering. She supposed her condition now was similar.

With the lights dimmed in her hospital room so they wouldn't be so glaring, Hina sat and allowed the nurses to rewrap the bandages that covered her arms. They weren't dirty from any sort of blood or bodily fluid, but it was still a sanitary concern to keep the cloths on her for too long.

Hina had tensed as the nurse unwrapped closer and closer to her palms, terrified that the moment they were exposed, she'd see the numerous red lines still there, streaming with blood and that everything would be ripped away the moment she thought it was alright. She wouldn't put it past Daichi, to force her through some sort of elaborate hoax. That it was all another cruel nightmare meant to put her at ease and have reality yanked right out from under-

"Hina."

Her head jerked up, seeing Shouta who stood behind the nurse with his arms crossed. He must have noticed her internal panic rising. His expression was patient and his tone gentle. After a moment, he nodded meaningfully down at her hands. "Look."

She followed where he'd indicated, and saw that the bandage was completely off now. The pulsing, sharp, stinging pain still sliced through her hands, but the skin was unbroken and healthy. No blood to be seen. No scars or marks at all to indicate a previous injury. Her fingers twitched, which only sent shooting pains up her arms, but it at least helped her confirm that this was real, and that she was no longer stuck in her head.

The validation helped to even her breathing, and she watched as the nurse grabbed a new roll of cloth, before gingerly re-wrapping her arms up to cover the non-visible wounds. Each press of her fingers and brush of the cloth exacerbated the pain, But Hina bore it patiently. Before long, her arm was completely covered.

The nurse repeated the action on her other arm, before giving her a medication that would allow her to sleep evenly during the night. With a polite nod at Shouta, she left the room and shut the door behind her.

Sitting with her legs dangling over the side of the bed, Hina stared down at the bandages and focused on breathing evenly and managing the pain. Over time, it was getting easier to live with the constant reminder of what she had survived.

But when would this all be over?

Hina couldn't even begin to fathom the recovery time it would take to get back into a semblance of normal. She'd managed to not worry her coworkers earlier in the day when they'd visited, but a large part of her wondered if the most difficult part was even over yet.

Sure, she'd pieced her head back together, a feat she'd never thought possible until having accomplished it, but every dark recess of her mind was still plagued with images of...scenes and sounds too gory to...of everyone she was close to and loved...

Lost in her own spiraling thoughts, tears slid down her cheeks and her hands began to shake with more pronunciation.

Shouta stepped forward and placed himself in front of where she sat. He didn't touch her, though, mindful that it could cause her pain. "Hey...talk to me." He said, drawing her attention with a soft request.

She looked up, and saw his worried expression, but all she could do was shake her head. "I...I can't. I'm...not ready." Was her choked response. Her vision was wobbly and blurry from the welling tears.

"I'm sorry, I...I know you want to help and you want me to get it out...but I don't want to even think about any of it until I know I won't...won't break again." Hina sobbed out in a broken sentence. "I'm not trying to push you away or anything-"

"Hina." He interrupted, gently laying his hands on her shoulders. She didn't flinch away or cry out with pain, so it was a good start. "You don't have to explain anything to me. Tell me when you're ready, when _you_ decide you can. I will be there when you need me this time, unlike before."

She sniffed back further tears, and her eyes met his. Her hands twitched in their bandages, wanting to place them on his hands holding her shoulders, but she decided against it due to the pain it would have caused.

"You've always been there for me, Shouta. _I_ let myself down that night. _Not_ you, or even Midnight.." She said as forcefully as she could, knowing that he could carry everything on his shoulders if she didn't say something. "You're the one who gave me the strength to get through it all. Without you, I'd...still be stuck in there."

"I didn't give that to you." He shot back with a quick shake of his head. "All I did was show you how to find what had always been there."

Hina's mouth twitched, and she managed a tiny morsel of humor in all of this. "Let's agree to disagree?"

"How about," He proposed, allowing a small smile of his own, "you eventually see it my way and recognize your own worth?"

"Hmm..." She hummed, leaning forward to settle her head on his chest. It was hard to fight instinct and not wrap her hands around his back in a hug. "I think you've got a tough fight ahead of you if you think I'll change my mind."

"I've never been afraid of a challenge." He said softly into her hair, letting her listen to the beat of his heart through his shirt.

For several moments, they stayed like that, Hina listening to the gentle beat of his heart through his chest. That in itself was the most validating and calming thing in the world. A confirmation that he was still here, and the visions she'd seen hadn't come to pass.

He eventually released her and pulled back a little. The smile he'd had before had vanished, and he looked at her with a serious expression. "Will you be ok without me here tonight?"

Her immediate, instinctual reaction was to tense, and to worry. Shouta was able to ground her simply by being in proximity. She could vividly recall the blinding panic that had enveloped her when she'd woken up in the hospital bed, without seeing anything familiar, terrified that she hadn't actually emerged from her mental prison.

The thought of not having him nearby to help this time? At first, she swallowed and looked away, but then she swiftly shut her eyes and took a deep breath to steady the emotional tidal wave that threatened to overcome her if she didn't reign in her thoughts.

Shouta had responsibilities to the students, and to himself. Logically, she couldn't expect him to drop everything to stay with her 24/7. And as much as the scared part of herself felt that that's what she wanted, Hina knew she wouldn't feel right even if he'd ignored everything else to make sure she was ok. The redhead slowly nodded, opening her eyes.

"I'll try my best." Was her slow and careful response.

"It isn't a matter of me not caring, or not wanting to be here for you." He continued, swiping a hand across her forehead to straighten a stray strand of hair. "But I can't neglect my responsibilities. I can't abandon the students."

"You don't have to tell me why." Hina replied. "I'm the last person you have to justify your reasons to. I understand.

"And I...need to be able to cope and handle my own emotions on my own." She admitted, eyes looking away uncomfortably at the prospect. "I can't rely on you as an emotional crutch forever. I want you to depend on me as well, and I can't do that if I never learn to deal with the trauma, right?"

Hina looked back up at him. "I know it's going to be hard but I'll manage, somehow. I promise you I'll get through it, no matter how long it'll take, ok?"

After a moment of watching her expression, Shouta nodded with relief, then placed a gentle kiss against her forehead. "Try to get some sleep. I'll visit the next time I get the chance."

"Ok."

He lingered one last moment, before stepping away and walking to the exit. The door shut with a soft click behind him, and Hina felt an immediate sensation of loneliness the moment he was out of sight. She felt like crying, but tried her best to hold it at bay, knowing that it would be a long night ahead, and that she needed to keep a promise to stay strong as long as she possibly could.

* * *

A/N- It's definitely gonna take some time for her to be better. But...maybe our girl is strong enough to get there!

As always, if you enjoyed don't forget to follow, favorite, and leave a review! I would super appreciate to hear your thoughts so far!


	37. Chapter 37

A/N- More recovery time, and some visitors. :) I hope you enjoy!

**Otakugirl1996-** She's strong, so I'm sure she'll get there eventually!

**Leoki-** Lol, when the urge strikes you...Sometimes _I_ forget I'm the author of that story. Considering it's been quite a while since an update... O.o

**buzzbug344-** Well, I'm super appreciative that you gave this story a chance! :) Very happy that you are enjoying it so much!

**Guest-** Lol, I can't get another of Aizawa. And apparently neither can any of you. :P

**Dippy Egg-** Nonsense, I love long reviews and long paragraphs of rambling thoughts! :D I'm glad you're enjoying the story! I hope you continue to do so.

Onwards!

* * *

Holding her head, hands pulsing with stabbing pain, Hina focused on steadying her staggered breathing and tramping down the anxiety that was rising in her chest. Ignoring the sharpness in her fingers and palms, she pressed them into her temple harder, trying to tell herself everything was ok.

"Just breathe." Tsuya, one of the nurses on staff that Hina had become closer with during her stay in the hospital, said calmly. She crouched in front of the redheaded hero, keeping her company through the panic attack. "In...and out. Good, keep going."

Hina nodded distractedly, eyes closed and focused on her task. She sat in a chair in the psyche ward's recreation room. It was quickly turning into one of her favorite spots, as sitting in her hospital room was gloomy and felt encroaching. The space had lots of room to walk or sit, and the large windows let in plenty of light that she often felt lifted her sprits a bit.

Of course, a nice environment didn't always prevent her dark thoughts from creeping back in. The book she'd been reading forgotten on the ground by the chair, she rocked back and forth slowly as Tsuya helped her through the episode.

"I'm right here, not going anywhere." The nurse continued in a quiet voice. "If we need to, we can call Shouta to come and-"

"No." Hina said quickly, aware enough to reject the idea. "I'm ok...I'll be ok..."

"That's fine. We'll get you through this. It will pass soon." Tsuya agreed with a calming smile. "Just a few more minutes."

True to her word, the nurse stayed by Hina's side until the worst of the episode passed, and she finally settled her hands back on the arm rests of the chair. The spike in anxiety began to recede, and Tsuya murmured until the hero's breathing fell back into a normal cadence. The black-haired nurse finally stood.

"Would you like me to get some music for you to help you stay relaxed?" She asked, but Hina shook her head.

"No, I'm...alright now...Thank you for staying with me."

"No problem, just let us know if you need anything. You have another hour or so of free time before you meet with Dr. Fukuma." She mentioned, flashing her caring a smile before leaving the room. The redhead watched until she disappeared from view, before sighing and looking down at her still-bandaged hands.

The mid-day sun was bright and kept her warm, but she still couldn't shake the shiver of discomfort that the panic attacks left her with. Four days since waking up. And four days since the last restful sleep she'd managed to get. The repetitive nightmares and frequent panic attacks made it feel something closer to weeks.

She looked at the floor, then reached down to where her book had fallen. Her hand shook as it neared, and she gently flexed her fingers in order to grab it by one of the pages. It sent flaring signals up into her arms, but she only winced and continued to bring the item back into her lap.

The constant echoes of pain in her hands had yet to noticeably lessen, and she was worried that they would permanently remain scarred with the phantom slices of her mind's fragments. But day by day, she was learning to deal with the pain and anticipate how to best distract herself from it while gaining a very limited use of her hands.

The corner of the paperback had bent where it landed on the floor, and she debated trying to find her place in the pages again. It was probably best to abandon the story now. The detailed descriptions of one of the characters' nightmares had reminded her too closely of her own harrowing demons, and she had been unable to stop thinking about them once it had come to mind.

With a sigh, she placed the book on the side table and decided not to continue reading and risk another episode. she'd have to tell the nurses that they needed to remove the book from the ward, in case it happened to someone else.

The whole thing had left her very tired, but she perked up when the door to the rec room opened again, and Tsuya poked her head in. An hour had definitely not passed, Hina thought to herself.

"Hey, you have a few visitors." She said, then frowned with worry. "We can ask them to come at a later time, since you're still coming down from an episode."

Visitors? She hadn't been expecting anyone, and it wasn't Shouta's usual time to come around. "Do you know who it is?" She asked.

"All Might, and another gentleman. He looks like an detective. A little young, though." Tsuya reported dutifully.

Hina was tired, but she had a feeling the reason for their visit would be important. Anything having to do with law enforcement was something she'd be interested in. "I'd like to see them."

"Alright, wait here." She said, then disappeared again, the door closing shut behind her.

The former number one hero and Tsukauchi entered cautiously, as if one wrong step would put her over the edge. Hina had gotten used to people acting that way around her in the past few days, but it still irritated her to a small degree. She couldn't hold back the eye roll.

"No need to tip-toe. Come and sit." She said, gesturing to a few chairs on the opposite side of the room. "I'm not going to burst into tears because you scuff your shoe on the linoleum."

"Sorry..." Tsukauchi said abashedly, grabbing one of the chairs and setting it to face her a few feet away. "They said you just had a panic attack, and we didn't want to unintentionally cause another."

"I get it, but I'm ok now."

All Might grabbed a second chair and sat beside his compatriot. "How are you, Hina?" He asked softly, and she shrugged.

"As well as I can be...given the circumstances." Was her reply, not bothering to hide how tired she was. "I just want this to be over with so I can go back to work, truthfully..."

"You're looking well." Tsukauchi added with a smile. "It is good to see you awake. But don't feel the need to rush out of here right away. Healing takes time."

"So everyone says." She muttered, then shook her head at the pitying look they both shot her way. "Sorry...they've suggested I speak my mind in the moment, so I don't bottle things up and make things worse. But don't take anything personally. I'm just a little drained from my anxiety."

The pity finally disappeared, and Toshinori cleared his throat. "Checking on your well-being was one part of our visit, but we also have a few questions. We wanted to wait until your condition stabilized before coming to see you. If now would be a good time to ask?"

Her assumption had been right. "Go ahead. What did you need to know?"

Tsukauchi leaned forward, his voice lowering. "Before that, I wanted to let you know that the Commissioner and myself have kept your kidnapping and condition under wraps. We know UA's reputation at the moment is turbulent at best. No need to cause another stir and risk damaging it further."

The thought hadn't even crossed Hina's mind until now, but Tsukauchi's admission brought a small feeling of relief, that Daichi's meddling wouldn't cause her workplace further grief. He had nothing to do with the students, though she could see how the general public may have seen it that way.

"That is relieving to hear."

"That being said," the young detective continued, "your brother has been apprehended and locked away in Tartarus. Rather than return him to the mainland prison, his quirk strength was deemed too powerful and his sentence was transferred. His accomplice, however, was returned to his cell in Musutafu Maximum Security."

Hina had learned as much from Shouta after her initial awakening, but she nodded anyway, glad of the confirmation.

"The medical team evaluated him upon admittance. Because of his volatility, they have opted to authorize a quirk-suppression chip. It's an experimental method of compliance, but so far the results seem to be promising. He is still also on a medication to reduce the effectiveness and strength of his telepathy as a back-up measure."

"Has he been...violent?" Hina wondered, and he shook his head.

"Not physically. He is expectedly aggressive, from what I have been told, but for the most part cooperative." He went on. "However he won't say anything about his motives, why he went after you or the other heroes in the first place. I was hoping you may be able to shed some light on that."

"You can also decline to answer." Toshinori added in a rush. "If something's uncomfortable for you, we can come back to it another time."

It was only a matter of time before the police came to speak with her about everything. Luckily, this was something that Hina wasn't afraid of bringing up. "The other heroes were only his attempt at finding me after he escaped from prison." She said, watching Tsukauchi tap a little button on the recorder he was holding. "He tried searching their minds for my location, but none of them knew who I was, so in the end, it did nothing to help him. They were collateral damage, I guess."

"Why was he so intent on finding you?" Toshinori asked.

"It goes back to my grandfather." Hina shrugged awkwardly. "He was a prominent villain in America, where my family is originally from. He'd somehow acquired a ring that would amplify his telepathic abilities. When my father defeated him, he took the ring. Neither he nor the agency he worked for could figure out a way to destroy it, but he also didn't want it falling into the wrong hands."

"From what you describe, that's illegal equipment."

Hina nodded. "It is."

"Why not turn it in to the American Government?" Toshinori's head cocked in confusion, but she sighed.

"I'm not sure. He never told me." She blinked a few times, hoping to get rid of some of the heaviness in her lids. "All I know is that he had it smuggled into Japan with him when they moved here. And from what I know of this country, they are even _less_ forgiving than America when it comes to illegal equipment. I only found out about it when I inherited it through their will."

"That's what Daichi was searching for?" Tsukauchi clarified.

"Yes."

"Do you still have it?"

Hina tossed her head side to side, suppressing the urge to yawn. "Yes and no. He had it stored away in a lockbox. Part of my inheritance was the address to where it was hidden. He left me a note, that I should keep it's existence secret from everyone to protect us from being sent back to America. He told me I should never use it, and to destroy it if possible. Though in the event that I couldn't, to pass it to someone who I would entrust my life to."

"Where is the ring now?"

"In a very small storage house In Esuha City."

"All the way on the other side of the country?" Toshinori asked, and she nodded.

"My father wanted it as far away from us as possible. He was afraid that the promise of a stronger quirk would give way to a villain's path." She looked away. "I guess it still did, even after everything he did to prevent that from happening."

After a moment, she looked back up at Tsukauchi. "It's stored in a box under the name John T. Doe. The key for it is in another lock box under the name Jane M. Doe."

"T and M? Do they stand for something?" Toshinori questioned, and Hina gave a tiny smile.

"Their names. Takeshi and Marie Hitagawa."

Both men nodded in understanding, and they gave a moment before continuing, as it was apparent that Hina was growing exhausted by the minute. Her eyes drooped sluggishly, and her attention was beginning to wane.

"The ring will be confiscated and stored in an appropriately secure location, out of the reach of someone who may use it maliciously." The detective finally said. "And you are correct. Japan is very stringent on the possession of illegal equipment. Admitting it would probably garner you a severe fine or jail time for having it in _any_ capacity."

"I understand." She said with a resignation in her tone. There wasn't any point in denying it, or pleading for mercy. She honestly didn't have enough energy to muster up an attempt.

"However, I may be able to help out with that. I don't see a need to report who was in possession of the ring, seeing as Daichi was apprehended before ever getting his hands on it, and you were the reason for his capture."

Hina frowned, about to disagree, but he forged on before she could retort.

"You may be brought in for questioning about it later, but I'm sure the Commissioner will agree with my course of action." He concluded, and Toshinori looked happy with the outcome.

Still not happy that credit was being given to her where it wasn't due, she remained silent, too tired to argue about it. Instead, she asked what had been on her mind since they walked in. It caused an uncomfortable stir in her chest, but she'd push through it all the same.

"This may be a strange question, but...is there any possibility of being able to visit him?"

Tsukauchi and Toshinori both looked at her with a stunned silence, as if she'd grown a second head. It made her uncomfortable, but she really wanted to know.

"Would that really be a good idea?" The blonde man questioned, shaking his head in confusion. "After all that he did to you...why would you want to see him?"

Their disbelief made the sensation in the pit of her stomach worse, and she shifted in place. She looked down at her hands again, still feeling the stinging as they lay against her thighs. "I couldn't say exactly why, but...I just feel like I need to."

"You're still recovering." He pointed out.

"I don't mean right now. Or even in a week or month. But eventually." She looked back up at the men with a clarity her gaze had been lacking. "One day, when I'm not in danger of breaking down at the slightest trigger."

Tsukauchi gave an incredulous huff. "Well...I'd have to see what strings I could pull. He's being kept in the most secure part of Tartarus until they can gauge his quirk's strength properly, but perhaps they would allow a visitation. I won't make you a promise, but I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you." She said, the discomfort still rising in her stomach. She didn't know what from, but it wouldn't go away. Her inner feelings must have shown through on her face, because Toshinori and Tsukauchi both stood the next moment.

"We've taken up enough of your time. I am sorry to have had to bring it all up again during your recovery. Thank you for your cooperation." With a grateful bow from each of them, they left her alone again in the rec room.

* * *

"How's the pain? Is it still at a 10?" Tsuya asked, gently unwrapping the bandages that covered her arms. Failing to hold back the tears, Hina nodded.

"Yeah...I don't know why..."

Her palms had been unusually painful after her appointment with Dr. Fukuma. The constant sting had amplified into a scathing, cutting, deep pain that Hina was unable to ignore. It had sent her to her knees when it first began. That had been a bit embarrassing, collapsing in the hallway and keening through the sensations.

"Just breathe through it." The black-haired nurse said quietly, continuing to take off the bandage with mind to how it would be painful to Hina. She was remarkably good at it, considering how much the limb was shaking and trembling.

"I've been _breathing_ the whole time I've been here..." Was her harsh reply, but then she shook her head after a wave of guilt hit. The uncomfortable wetness of tears stuck to her cheeks. "Sorry, I know you're just trying to help..."

Tsuya gave her a wry smile. "No need. We'd have a bigger problem if you stopped breathing."

"I guess..."

She fell silent after that, watching her nurse change them out with fresh cloth. It hurt even worse being wrapped back up, but Hina resisted the urge to clench her fists. It would have only made things worse. Much worse, in fact.

"There, that should do you." Tsuya said, securing the end of the second bandage and stepping back to view her handiwork. Then, cutting a few inches off the end of the unused roll, the nurse reached up and dabbed away at the tears on her face. "You're doing a really good job of managing everything, you know."

"Yeah, three panic attacks a day is just _wonderful_." Hina blurted out, once again shaking her head after the fact.

"You're awake, you're aware, and you've got a lot of support. Which is more than I can say for some of our other patients." She replied evenly, and the hero looked away. "I know you don't see it as progress, but if you keep strong like you have been doing, you'll be out of here in no time. Take it from me."

Tsuya didn't bullshit with her, which Hina appreciated. It was also the reason she knew that the nurse wasn't just telling her what she wanted to hear, and that objectively Hina was in fact making progress. "...thanks."

"You're welcome." She gestured to the door. "Now, I believe you've got some visitors who've been waiting for us to finish up here."

"_More_ visitors?" Her eyebrows shot up in shock.

"Mhmm." Tsuya gave a knowing grin, gesturing for her to follow her to the door. "They agreed to wait until you weren't in so much pain. Are you up for more socializing?"

"I..guess." She stuttered out, head shaking in confusion as she slid from the bed down to the floor. It was hard to fathom just how many people wanted to check on her. Did she really have so many friends? All these people coming to see her was a little disorienting. "I'm starting to feel like a circus side-show..."

Tsuya opened the door and lead the redhead further down the hallway. They were making their way to the recreation room again, Hina realized, and her nurse looked back, giving her another knowing smile.

"If you feel overwhelmed, just let us know. We can ask that they break into smaller groups. But they insisted on all coming together." She prefaced, opening the rec-room door with a twist of her wrist on the door handle. Hina was about to ask what she meant, but the sheer number of visitors practically explained itself.

"Hitagawa Sensei!" One of them exclaimed, and they all turned to see her walk inside with eager smiles. The entirety of Class 1-A stood in the rec-room, casually dressed and obviously here in their free time. It was the weekend. They must have all planned to visit after hearing that she was awake again.

"You guys..." She trailed off, feeling a well of appreciation for her students. All of them were here, even Bakugou, who stood towards the back with crossed arms. The redhead smiled, momentarily forgetting about the pain in her hands as they all came closer.

"Woah, hold on there." Tsuya said, stepping in front of them and holding her hands out in a stopping gesture. "Scarlet Seer is still in some pain, so please avoid any touching, but you're welcome to sit and talk with her awhile."

Chastened, the students stepped back and allowed the nurse to usher Hina through to a chair at the back of the room.

"I'll give you some time. Please call for one of us if you become overwhelmed. And kids, do try to keep the volume down. This is a place of healing, not an amusement park." She said, then let herself out of the room.

As soon as the door shut behind the black-haired nurse, the students began talking over one another to greet her and say how happy they were to see her. Hina only smiled and closed her eyes, taking in their high energy as much as she could. She'd missed this, the young, positive environment that her students provided her. God, she missed being back to work. It wasn't long before Iida was able to make himself stand out from the others.

"Everyone, we must speak in an orderly and quiet fashion so Hina is not overwhelmed!" He called over the rest, though still at a much lower volume than she was used to from the class president. His suggestion finally took hold, and the students quieted down and began speaking one at a time.

"Are you ok, Hitagawa Sensei?" Hagakure asked, her shirt sleeves crossed in front of her. "We were all really worried when they said you weren't conscious."

"They wouldn't even tell us what happened..." Ojiro muttered, his tail curled around his feet in irritation.

Midoriya clenched his fists together and smiled. "All that matters is that she's back."

"You're...coming back soon, right?" Momo questioned, concern marking her face. Everyone looked at her, and she nodded.

"I still have some recovery to do first, but I will be coming back, yes."

Relief flooded the students. Had they really been so worried that she would quit? Or perhaps they really thought she'd been too injured to ever come back. How humbling...

"What _did_ happen, Hitagawa Sensei?" Uraraka asked timidly. "None of the other teachers would tell us anything. Are you really ok?"

The rest of them went quiet, looking to her for an answer. She met a few of their gazes, then looked down at her hands. That familiar buzz of anxiety began in the pit of her stomach, and her hands ached with renewed fervor.

"I'm fine, right now at least." She chose her words carefully, knowing the students meant well but their curiosity could cause problems. "Please understand, I'm still working through what I...experienced...while I was away. In time, I'll be more comfortable with talking about what happened, but I'd prefer if you please not ask me about it right now."

The students nodded with shamed understanding, and before the mood became too glum, she smiled. "You might be here to see me, but I've been missing you all as well. I know that you all had your license exam a few days ago. I'd love to know how it went."

"You should have seen it, there were so many amazing quirks there!" Kirishima exclaimed. "The other schools had really strong students-"

"-and there was this game where we had to hit the targets on their bodies, kind of like dodgeball-" Denki said, bustling with energy.

"-Thanks to Aoyama, we were all able to find each other again and we all went to the next round-"

"-Gang Orca was so scary, the last part of the exam was tough, but we all"

Hina's eyes flitted from student to student, trying to piece their exam experience together from the disjointed explanations and overenthusiastic rambling. When one stopped to take a breath, another jumped in with their take on the exam.

They spoke of their high and low moments, and even when Todoroki admitted that Bakugo and himself hadn't passed, she reassured them of their future victory. Bakugo didn't say much at all, but Todoroki nodded thoughtfully. She reflected that he'd certainly become much kinder and open to help than he had been before.

Her smile was wide and content as they spoke about their experiences, her heart lighter than it had been all week. If this was just a small taste of what she'd get to have back in her life after returning to work, then come hell or high water, she'd claw her way back to the normal she used to know.

* * *

A/N- Our girl is getting there. Slowly. :)

If you enjoyed, be sure to follow, favorite, and leave a review! They are most appreciated!


	38. Chapter 38

A/N- Sorry for the small delay in posting. I was reading the Vagabond manga and couldn't put it down. I am now dead set on a Miyamoto Musashi tattoo, my friends.

**Otakugirl1996-** Slowly, she'll get there. :) Still some healing to do!

**Neko Hoshi Hime Okami-** I didn't want to forget about the after effects so I'm glad my hard work is being noticed! Glad you're enjoying it. :)

**BlackBirdInTheNight-** I honestly, really thought about having her begin to panic and freak out when she was speaking with him just because of that reason, but I ended up going a different direction. So you're thinking along the same lines as me, lol. :)

**Dippy Egg-** You're not the only one who thought that. :P She is so cute with the students. :)

**curlystruggle-** Oh, you're freaking right he ain't a victim!:) But, of course, the saying goes 'Everyone thinks they're the hero of their own story." And of course, being her brother, surely Hina would be a little influenced by what he showed her. But I totally get how you feel. :)

**AnimeFan4Eternity-** Well, I'm glad you were finally able to catch up! :D Welcome back! Emotions have always been a major part of her quirk, so of course, in her most desperate and most despairing moment, she'd have the strength to reach out to a mind she was the most familiar with. (I wanted Shouta to beat the shit out of Daichi, but that wouldn't be very hero-like of him, now would it? Lol.)

Onwards!

* * *

Hina's careful steps on the sidewalk slowed their quick pace, stopping entirely as she reached the edge of the campus. The esteemed and grandiose UA entrance gateway lay above her, gleaming and bright as it always had been. Looking up, for some reason, she hesitated walking through.

Past the entrance, the campus was empty. Saturday morning would normally mean mingling students coming and going across the campus to hang out with friends or attend club gatherings, but there was no one in sight. Well, she supposed it was 7 in the morning. Most were probably still sleeping.

How long had it been since she'd been here? 2 months, perhaps. Much too long. Her weeks of rehabilitation had felt like an eternity. Hands-which no longer stung or burned from phantom cuts-tightened on the bag slung over her shoulder. An occasional dull throb would have her flexing her fingers, but nothing unmanageable.

Hina couldn't take her eyes off the metal arch and the school buildings beyond. To any passing citizen, she was simply another curious onlooker, in awe of the infamous UA campus. She nearly felt that way, such a disconnect between herself and her actual employment here. The swirl of emotions in her chest was indescribable.

Fresh out of the hospital's cotton shirt and pants, it felt strange wearing clothing that actually belonged to her. Shouta had been kind enough to grab her some from her apartment before her discharge. Even doing her makeup routine that morning had felt unfamiliar and clunky. She'd been anxious to get out of there, foot tapping impatiently through the release paperwork, but now that she was steps from the campus, something stole the impatience away.

Shouta noticed her hesitation and stepped up beside her, staring up at the sign. He'd been kind enough to bring her from the hospital back to the campus, and if he thought it strange that she was just staring up at the sign, he didn't say anything about it.

"Are we standing here all day?" He finally asked lightly, and she smiled a little.

"No. Just...taking in this feeling for a moment." She admitted.

"Of what?"

"Coming home."

The pro beside her nodded in understanding, hands tucking into his pockets to wait as long as they needed to. His patience with her was immeasurable, surely. Hina finally took a deep breath, steeling whatever it was that made her stop here, before stepping across the threshold and onto the campus grounds. Shouta was right behind her. As he always had been.

* * *

The moment she entered the principal's office, the small mouse-bear-dog broke into a happy smile.

"Scarlet Seer, it is very good to see you awake and in good health. Please, come inside." He gestured for the redhead to come closer, then looked at her companion. "You as well, Eraserhead. I imagine she would like your presence in this meeting."

With an affirmative nod from his partner, Aizawa stepped up alongside Hina across from the small principal. Nothing in this office had changed since her kidnapping, and the familiarity brought an unprecedented comfort. Nezu sat in his oversized chair, looking particularly happy and in a good mood.

"It is good to be back." Hina said truthfully. "I've been anxious to come back to work since I was admitted to the hospital."

"So I was told. I received your discharge papers from your doctor this morning. Everything appears to be in order." He said with a nod, tapping a manilla folder that sat on the corner of his desk. "They all had good things to say about your recovery, and feel confident that you are ready to return to work."

She nodded again, and Nezu folded his paws.

"However, I wanted to speak with you directly to determine that myself." He went on, and her smile faded a little. "While I have the utmost faith in the hospital's ability to assist in recovery, I am concerned that the unpredictability of your average day-to-day may prove to be too much too soon for you."

"I am feeling fine, I assure you." Hina pressed, frowning with worry that she still had one last hurdle to jump before being allowed to return for work. "The doctors evaluated my condition through various stress tests. I'm not going to flip out if someone accidentally scares me from around a corner, if that's what you're worried about."

"In fact, that is not what concerns me." He replied with a small shake of his head, watching her seriously. "If you don't mind me prying; when is the last time you activating your quirk?"

Hina winced, looking down at the floor with a mix of disappointment and fear. Really, the uncanny way that he could just tell something wasn't quite right was...scary. She could feel Shouta's own curious stare from beside her. "When I first woke up in the hospital..."

The doctors had suggested confronting the things inside her head, but she hadn't been entirely ready to open that can of worms at the time. Over her stay, she'd managed to get to a good place without touching her quirk. She'd been afraid of a regression should she attempt to address it too early in her healing. The doctors hadn't pushed too hard, and she'd managed to put off the issue. Now, though, Hina wished she hadn't.

"I understand time is a factor in healing, and no one is pressing you to speed up your pace of recovery," Nezu said with closed eyes, "but it does worry me that you are not comfortable using your quirk, yet still want to return to work."

"I don't need it to teach the students my course material." She countered desperately with a shake of her head. "I have appointments with outside therapists even now, so I will eventually come to reintroduce myself to my quirk. It is something that I will address. But please...give me a chance to show you. I _am_ ready to come back to work."

Hina and Nezu were locked in a staring match, her trying to put all the charisma and persuasion she could into her expression, and him evaluating with a careful, genius mind. Shouta cleared his throat.

"If I can add something...I've witnessed Hina's condition from the moment she awakened until now. Her progress is remarkable considering what she underwent." He said, and the principal listened intently. "Being around those she cares for was always a positive influence on her peace of mind and morale. Working with the student body again may provide another pillar of support in her recovery."

He was always there to support her. Hina gave him an appreciative smile, but turned back to Nezu when he gave a sigh.

"I do not doubt that..." He admitted. "However, I am aware that you continue to have panic attacks if presented with certain triggers. Wouldn't it be better for your health and safety to remain home until they pass?"

"They are manageable, and the triggers less influential by the day." Hina reassured. "I've been taught coping methods for if I do have one. Most last a few minutes at most, and even then, I would be in a place where help is not far."

Nezu hesitated, and she took that as a sign that somehow she was convincing him to allow her to return. "And if you have one of these episodes in front of a class of students? We don't want them to lose focus on their studies. Their instructor's health should not be something they worry themselves with."

"I think they've done that already, with her being away from work." Shouta added under his breath. "She's well-liked among them. Most students worried the first day she was absent."

"I can tell them beforehand of the possibility, and that they should not worry if it does occur." Hina said with a shrug. "I'll downplay it to prevent the most of their concerns."

"Eraserhead, you indeed have been there for Scarlet Seer's recovery in its entirety." Nezu said, and the 1-A teacher stood straighter. "Putting aside your personal relationship with her, and from a matter of what is best for both the students _and_ herself, I would like to know if you feel she is indeed mentally ready to come back to UA."

Hina could feel her partner look her way, but she made it a point to stare at Nezu's desk instead. Two seconds passed without a word.

"Yes. I do."

Those words put another relieved smile on her face, and she gave Shouta a glance from the corner of her eye. He was looking at Nezu again, and didn't notice. The redhead felt like perhaps he still needed that final persuading piece, and went in for one last attempt.

She gave a small bow. "Please...I have waited two months to return. Being back on campus has lifted my spirits a great deal and...I wish to resume my employment to ensure that the students are as prepared for the future as they could be."

Nezu watched her for another moment, before sighing once more. "I am willing to allow you to return, on the condition that you temporarily cease outside hero work until you have completed your therapy. I don't wish for you to have to return to the hospital after having been discharged."

His agreement was a little shocking, as she'd felt that being the genius he was, he would not have allowed them to sway his decision. However, she wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth and rose from her bow. A cessation of hero work was a minuscule price to pay for her return to the academy.

"I understand." She said, smiling at the confirmation. "Thank you so much."

"You are welcome. And I truly mean when I say," Nezu said, his smile returning, "it is very good to have you back."

* * *

Sunday was spent calling the kind woman who had stepped in as a substitute to go over the course material that Hina had been absent for, coordinating the next lesson and the assignments that had been handed out and collected. It made her heart hurt, how many subjects she had not been there to teach. The school year was only so long, and she made it a personal promise to give it her all for the rest of the year.

When Monday morning finally did come around, Hina woke at a much earlier hour than usual. She showered, hoping that the noise wouldn't wake Shouta through the adjoining wall. The warm water did little to soothe the nerves that began slowly settling in the pit of her stomach. She practiced even breathing as the toweled off and dressed in her hero costume. What had once felt close to a second skin was now just a little too loose. Not quite a perfect fit. Had she lost weight? Hmm...

Putting on her makeup and brushing her teeth put her in front of her bathroom mirror, and she stared at her reflection as she got ready for the day. Her mind was so preoccupied, that for several minutes, she stood there with her eyeliner in hand, just staring at her face's features. Then, realizing that she wasn't getting anything done, shook her head and finished the rest of her makeup. It was a little hard to focus.

She gathered her purse and headed to her apartment door, but paused as her hand settled on the knob. Resting her forehead on the door, she closed her eyes and took a fortifying breath.

"You can do this..." Was her muttered pep-talk, a last valiant attempt to ease her frazzled nerves, before opening her eyes again and heading out onto the campus.

No one was out and about this earlier. There was still a solid two hours before class began, the sun barely rising up from the horizon. Another hour of sleep had sounded nice, but Hina knew she needed time to become comfortable in her own classroom again, and to prepare for the lesson she would present on her first day back.

It all felt like the first day she'd been hired, funnily enough.

The school halls were empty and silent, save for her footsteps on the linoleum. From the window above, she passed by the school's courtyard gardens and spotted Cementoss meditating, eyes closed in intense concentration. She smiled, tempted to go down and say hello, but figured he wouldn't appreciate the interruption. Hina passed the window by, turning down the hallway to where the Life Skills room was situated.

Her classroom door slid open with an easy push. Reaching inside, she flipped the light switch to fill the room with light.

Dozens...no, hundreds of cards piled on her desk, and on the student desks as well. The redhead stopped, taking in all of the colorful pieces of paper. Her eyes eventually tracked to the chalkboard, which was decorated in a beautiful scrawl of the words 'Welcome Back, Hitagawa Sensei!' Drawings of flowers and other cute depictions surrounded it in random patterns, each with a different style of art. Many different students had worked on it, she knew.

Stepping closer to her desk, she dropped her purse on the chair and picked up the closest one. It was crafted from light blue paper, with the words 'We missed you so much!' drawn crookedly on the front page. She opened it to reveal the name of a student in the business department, as well as a short message on how they had worried about her during her absence, and that they were glad she was ok.

Hina smiled, picking up another to read the contents. Another well-wishing sentiment, from yet another student. This one in Class 1-C.

The sheer number of them...this was practically the whole student body. Had they all written her a note wishing her return? Had they all...really missed her so much? Shouta had mentioned that she was well-liked among them but she had...never realized just how far that went.

There was too much to feel all at once, and it sent an ache through her chest.

Vision blurring, Hina wandered over to one of the desks and sat, reading through each small card one by one, trying her hardest not to break down into a bawling mess. Well, tried was the key word. Her makeup she'd spent so long putting on that morning was definitely ruined. Not that the redhead really minded.

* * *

The first class of the day was the general studies class. After an hour of reading the cards her students had written for her return-then spending another ten minutes moving them from the student desks to a box in the corner of the room for her to look at later-Hina managed to prep for that day's lesson, somehow. She hesitated before erasing the beautiful message on her chalkboard, and finally decided to set the eraser down. It was fine to leave up for today.

The students filed into the room when the first bell rang to indicate class would begin shortly, breaking into bright smiles when they saw her standing in front of her desk.

"Please take your seats. I'll address my absence in a moment once everyone is here." She prefaced as they filed inside and took their respective seats. There was a sort of buzz among everyone who entered, this electric feeling in the air. Hina didn't know how else to describe it.

An outward calm hid the elation of facing her students again, and as the second bell rang to indicate the beginning of their lesson, the pro hero offered everyone a deep bow. Her hope was that it masked just how close she was to bursting into happy tears in that moment.

"I want to first thank you all for all of the welcome cards. They did so much to lift my spirits coming into work today. I am very thankful to be back here teaching you again."

And in an expected flurry of curiosity, the questions began all at once.

"What happened?" "Why were you gone so long?" "Are you really ok?" "Was it actually a family emergency that made you leave?" "Please tell us why you were gone!"

"Quiet down, all of you." She requested, hands held up to stop the endless and enthusiastic questions from overwhelming her. Thankfully, their voices died down until it was silent again. "I know you are were all very concerned about me while I was away. So I will tell you what I feel comfortable saying now.

"While I am fit to work again, I am still healing." She stated simply, twining her fingers together and relaxing her posture. "What I experienced caused me to go into a coma for about a week, but with the help of my quirk I was able to awaken. However, there is still damage and things that need to be addressed in the coming months. For instance, there may be moments where I have a small panic attack, but if this occurs, please let me work through it myself. They last a few minute at most. Saying that, I do not feel comfortable talking about details of what caused my injuries."

Hanging on her every word, she saw 20 heads nod in somber understanding. Their excitement had been replaced with worry, however, and she wasn't about to let that go.

She smiled, hoping to relieve some of their fear. "But do not worry about me, please. I really am fine. I have many people supporting me, all of you included, so I will get through these small setbacks and come back stronger than before. That I promise you."

Thankfully, her words seemed to get through their worry, and they nodded again. Satisfied that she had halted their endless amount of questions, she gave a small sigh and turned to walk behind her desk.

How she'd missed this feeling...

"Now, for today's lesson...Please grab the worksheet that your substitute handed out last week. I want to address a few things that she told me you were confused about."

* * *

"Hinaaaaa!" Mic's enthusiastic and loud voice startled her from her seat on the couch, and she dropped the dumpling that she'd picked up with her chopsticks. The voice hero strode into the teacher lounge with determination, heading in her direction. "Come here and let me hug you!"

"Ease up on the volume, Mic." Shouta chastised with a wince from beside her on the couch, but she ignored her grumpy boyfriend and stood to accept his request.

"How are you?" She asked, her face stuffed in the collar of his leather jacket. He gave her a big squeeze before releasing her and stepping away to the fridge to grab his lunch.

"Great! The best!" He shot her a finger gun and sat on the opposite couch to her and Shouta, setting his bowl of rice on the table between them. "It's good to have you back, you know."

"I feel like I've said this a hundred times now, but it's good to be back." Hina smiled, picking up her dropped dumpling and popping it into her mouth. "Though it is a bit exhausting to keep answering the same questions each class period..."

"Are you doing ok?"

"Yeah, it's not anything I can't handle." She went on to quickly say. "I knew it would happen. But I can tell that the students want to know absolutely everything and they are disappointed not to be given concrete answers."

"In this case, their feelings don't matter." Aizawa said with a shrug. "It isn't their business."

"I know that."

"Well, hey! Now they'll stop asking the rest of us when you'll come back." Mic said flippantly. "I can't count the amount of times me and Midnight have been hounded with that question. I'll be fighting against any extended vacations you have in the future."

She laughed at his joke, then grasped onto something he'd said.

"Speaking of..." Hina trailed off, unconsciously glancing at the door to the teacher's lounge. "I haven't been able to catch up with Midnight since I was discharged. Is she doing alright?"

Mic's expression fell a little and he sighed. "Sort of...She's alright, but I know there's a whole lot of guilt swirling around that head of hers. Still won't listen to me or Eraser when we say it isn't her fault."

"Hmm." Hina looked down at her nearly empty plate thoughtfully. Blinking once, she quickly ate the last two dumplings and stood from the couch to put her dish back in the fridge to bring back home later.

"Going somewhere?" The erasure hero asked, and she gave a nod.

"I'm going to try to find her. Maybe she just isn't sure how to approach me about it." She summarized with a shrug, before giving a quick wave to Shouta and Mic. "I'll see you later. We should have a get together soon."

Aizawa silently gave his agreement with a nod, while the blonde shot her a toothy grin, and a flashing thumbs up. "Right on!"

* * *

**'I'm sorry, Hina. I just...I can't see you right now. Please understand.'**

The redhead sighed, staring down at Midnight's text. Hina had stopped by her classroom during her earlier lunch hour, but she was nowhere to be found. The thought that the woman was avoiding her hadn't quite settled in until the redhead sent her a text and had gotten a reply the next class period. It hurt a little, truthfully.

The reply left little question that Midnight wasn't in a headspace to meet. It was disappointing, misguided for sure, but she could understand the sentiment. Similar to Shouta's desire for space after the training camp attack, she supposed.

Students began to filter in through her classroom door for their next lesson, and she stuffed her phone away without replying, focused on explaining herself to another round of students.

* * *

Several hours later, after endless questions, a few tricky starts to her lessons, and several close calls with her rising anxiety, Hina flipped off her class lights and closed the door behind her. It certainly hadn't been the smoothest day of teaching ever, but it had been manageable. A start.

Exhausted and in desperate need of a nap, Hina began trekking down the hallway towards the elevator with the box of cards in her hands. A pair of students passed her by, waving with smiles as they saw her approach. She replied in kind but rounded the next corner hefting the box up a bit more so it wasn't so awkward in her hands.

Shouta stood by the elevator doors, hands stuffed in his hero costume's pockets in wait. Not for the first time, she wondered how he always managed to look so handsome. He looked up upon hearing her footsteps.

"Walking me home?" She guessed, reaching past him to hit the call button for the lift.

"That, and to ask what you'd like for dinner tonight." He said, watching her carefully. It was clear that he noticed the way her eyes felt heavy. "Or, we can just relax if you're not hungry."

"I'm starving, actually." She said while rubbing away at the exhaustion, stepping inside when the door opened. Her gaze settled on the contents of the box, a few colorful illustrations jumping out at her from those on top. "Plus, I wanted to read the rest of the cards the students wrote for me."

He followed after her and took up the space beside her in the elevator car, pressing the button for the main floor. The door shut with a soft thud and they began to descend.

"Good day?" He asked out of the blue, and she looked up at his curious expression. She saw the hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth.

Hina smiled back and leaned closer to rest her head on his shoulder. She felt him press his mouth to the top of her head. "Yeah...good day."

* * *

A/N- Hina's back! Surely she'll still have some struggles, but she'll get there, of course. Time heals all wounds I suppose.

If you enjoyed, please be sure to follow, favorite, and leave a review! And hey, maybe recommend it to someone you think would enjoy it. ;)


	39. Chapter 39

A/N- For everyone's information, I have written out an outline for a Present Mic x OC story I plan on starting up once I finish this one. It won't be nearly as long as this one is, but maybe, hopefully, just as good? Let me know your thoughts on if you would want to read that!

**curlystruggle-** You want more Midnight, you say? Well, you're going to get it!

**musiome-** I'm glad it did! :D

**Otakugirl1996-** She definitely will. Very, very, very soon!

**Dippy Egg-** Present Mic is just so huggable. He's just...ugh. You know? You know. You get me.

**BlackBirdInTheNight-** This story has no more than about 2 to 4 chapters left in it. I'm still tweaking some things to see if I want to keep some content or do away with it, so it's still up in the air exactly how many. But we're in the home stretch for sure!

**Neko Hoshi Hime Okami-** Heart to heart time! :D

**AnimeFan4Eternity-** Shouta is love. Shouta is life. Change my mind.

Onwards!

* * *

"Remember when we talked about first impressions before the sports festival?" Hina asked the students of 1-A, and their heads nodded. She held up her example copy as emphasis. "Resumes are exactly the same, except you aren't around for them to determine what they think of you.

"Cover letters give you a bit more freedom with what you can say, but we'll go over those later this week." She went on, setting the paper on her desk and turning to look at them again. "For now, we are focusing on the resumes themselves."

Hina grabbed the stack of papers that sat on the corner of her desk and handed them to Aoyama to pass out. "Please look over this paper, as well as the attached recommendations on the second page. I'll give you ten minutes to read it over, and then we will be discussing each point individually. Think of any questions you might have in that...time."

As she turned around, Hina felt a spike of pain through her hand. They happened occasionally, small pulses of pain, but for the most part the redhead could ignore them. This one, however, felt remarkably similar to the slice of glass across her fingers. With a quiet gasp, she clutched at her hand and held it to her chest, squeezing her eyes shut to try suppressing the flash of fear that suddenly settled itself in her head. Her chest felt tight, constricted.

It startled her how fast the sensation of drowning, or falling, or choking, rose up within her. At this rate, she knew she wouldn't be able to hold back the anxiety from overcoming her, and she took a stumbling step towards the door to the classroom.

"Hitagawa Sensei?" Sato asked behind her.

"Are you ok?" Momo followed up, and she heard the vice president stand from her seat.

"I'm...I'm fine, really..." She hurried to reassure, still clutching her hand to her chest. "I just...need a moment. Please...keep working diligently..." She said between stuttered breaths, opened the door the next moment and snapping it shut behind her.

Once out of sight of the students, Hina knelt on the ground and turned to face the wall of the hallway, resting her forehead against the hard surface to have something to ground herself to. Her breath came out in a rush and, eyes closed, the redhead tried keeping herself above the waterline, so to speak, of the tidal wave of negativity currently rocking through her mind.

Thankfully, there was no one in the hallway to see her little episode. The only other one she'd experienced before had been on her way to the teacher's lounge for her lunch break, and students on their way to the cafeteria had stopped to worry about her. She'd tried shooing them away, insisting that she would be fine in a few minutes, too embarrassed to have so many witnesses to her brief moment of losing her composure.

Several minutes of practicing her deep breathing exercises helped to slowly, eventually, drain the anxiety that had overcome her. Inch by inch, she felt the ocean evaporate, until all that was left was a lightheadedness from her constant breathing.

Taking another moment to put herself back together, she stood to her feet and straightened out her hero costume. She slid the door open and met the concerned stares of her students with a small smile.

Sero raised his hand. "Are you-"

"Do not worry about me." She said, knowing what he was about to ask. "I'm alright. Truly."

Without allowing them to dwell on what had just transpired, she picked up her example resume again and held it up to read. "Now, do any of you have questions? Otherwise, we'll go over this together one by one..."

* * *

Her first week back went surprisingly well. Other than her two panic attacks, she'd done well to keep herself calm and without incident. Nezu had taken her aside after school that Friday to ask how she was feeling. To her relief, he didn't seem to be reconsidering her return to work, and had sent her away with instructions to 'take some time to relax over the weekend.'

Saturday morning found her sitting in a therapist's waiting room, eyeing it with a mixture of apprehension and a need to get this all over with. The room felt unfamiliar and sort of cold. The walls were meant to appear homely and relaxing, but despite the tan paint and paintings in their frames, Hina still didn't feel overjoyed to be here.

Therapy still scared her, somewhat. Even her visits with Dr. Fukuma beforehand had all been at the direction of her doctors and not something she'd voluntarily desired. It was undeniable how much visiting with him had helped her recovery, but she'd always felt this sort of dread in the time before their sessions.

It was hypocritical of her, really. She'd taught her students the importance of talking out their feelings and their stresses, and she was hesitant to do the same. If only for her students, to show them that there was merit in attending therapy, she would go.

"Miss Hitagawa?" Hina looked up at the middle-aged man who'd poked his head out from the end of the hallway. "I'm ready for you now."

She nodded, and stood to enter the room he had emerged from. Everything felt eerily silent, uncomfortably so, but she powered through it, clenching and unclenching her fists to get rid of it somehow.

"Please, have a seat." He said, gesturing to a plush armchair. Having expected one of those stereotypical loungers, Hina suddenly felt ridiculous for it. The chair was extraordinarily comfy. The man sat in an identical match to her chair, a small coffee table sitting in between them. Facing him like this, she took in his graying hair and lively eyes, and the way he seemed to emanate a sense of safety.

"I would offer you something to drink, but unfortunately my coffee maker is on the fritz today. Hopefully by our next appointment we can have a little pick-me-up while we talk." He said with a small smile, before extending his hand for her to shake. "My name is Dr. Hitoshi Nagata. A pleasure to meet you."

"You too." She took his hand and then leaned back in her chair.

"Dr. Fukuma recommended me to take on your case once you were released from the hospital's care. I specialize in emotional trauma, which he said you may need some assistance with after your incident." He went on to explain. "It isn't unusual for heroes to refuse therapy, so I am very glad you agreed to attend."

Her hands clenched again, and she looked down at her lap. "I'm a teacher, so...I need to be able to show my students that therapy is important. I don't want my actions to prevent them from making a decision not to in the future."

"Is that your only reason for being here?" He asked carefully, and she shrugged.

"No...I know it could be very helpful, but I don't really enjoy the thought of having to need it...I guess."

"Understandable." Hitoshi said with a knowing nod. "Many see it as a weakness, to have to rely on someone else to help them work through their troubles. Of course, I am a bias opinion in that discussion, but I think it is admirable you are teaching the next generation of heroes that it is ok to have moments where they are in need of help. For that, I thank you."

Hina nodded her agreement, and he picked up a small notepad that was resting on the coffee table in between them, flipping to a page in the middle and unlatching a pen that was attached at the side. "Now, to preface this session, a little about what I do. My purpose is to help you traverse what can often be a debilitating bridge between emotional instability and as close to a sense of 'normal' as possible. I am a quirk user, able to manipulate the emotions of those I touch."

"Manipulate how?" She asked, curious and nervous.

"May I?" He reached out as if to take her hand, and she settled her palm down in his. She didn't have a reason to distrust him, and felt that he didn't mean her any harm. "What would you feel if I were to tell you that my wife died of cancer last month?"

Hina blinked, anticipating the little hollow in her chest at the sound of such a tragedy, but nothing came. She frowned, knowing it was worrisome that she didn't feel any sort of reaction to the news. However, not even the worry at her non-reaction registered. There was just...nothing.

"Are you blocking my emotions?" She asked evenly. He nodded and released her hand.

"Yes, exactly." He pointed to his head. "I've spent years studying everything I could about the brain and how it works. Thanks to that, I'm able to understand and 'turn off' certain networks within that produces various emotional responses."

"I'm so sorry about your wife..." Hina muttered, now able to feel the well of sympathy rising in her chest. But he shook his head and held up a hand.

"Don't worry over it, she is alive and well. It was simply an example." Then he tapped his notebook with his pen and faced her. "I utilize my quirk to help my patients ease into confronting the trauma that they are afraid to tackle. I'm hoping to do the same with your case."

Hina nodded her understanding, really thinking about it. It made sense, and she supposed the comfort of not feeling the terror and pain when she revisited the images Daichi had left her with should have put her at ease. Yet still, she winced. "I'm going to have to use my quirk to get to the bad part..."

"Yes." He agreed. "But you will not be alone in facing them, and I will do my utmost to ease what you do experience. At least for now, until you are in a position to begin handling the harder emotional obstacles. For now, we will begin small. The rest will come with time."

"Ok..." She murmured, hands clenching and unclenching again. This was all making her pretty nervous. He seemed to notice the gesture.

"The hand clenching...Dr. Fukuma mentioned that you had psychosomatic pain in your hands. Is that a coping mechanism?" He inquired, and she nodded. "Are they still painful?"

"Sometimes, but not nearly as bad as when I woke up the first time." She described, looking down at her hands. "They aren't that bad. I'll get pain there for a few minutes sometimes, then it goes away."

"I see." He said, writing something on his paper. "Well, unfortunately, I cannot assist with physical pain, but the rest I should be able to help address."

"I understand."

He set the notebook down on the table again and straightened in his chair. "Are you ready to begin?"

He reached both of his hands out and she took a fortifying breath. Hands shaking, she placed her hands in his. The moment he activated his quirk, she felt her apprehension slip away, until she felt nothing at all.

"Alright, go ahead and use your quirk, whenever you're ready." He said, and Hina's eyes began to glow for the first time in months.

* * *

The campus was dark. Her appointment with Dr. Nagata had been in the early afternoon, but in an effort to relieve some stress, she'd gone shopping after they'd finished. It hadn't been all that helpful in completely distracting her from the images she'd seen in her head, but it still helped. Plus, it gave her something to do while she thought over what had happened.

The terrible visions of death would have made her flinch away and want to immediately stop using her quirk, but with the help of Dr. Nagata, she'd been able to face it all without feeling a single thing. She didn't know what was scarier; the depictions of her loved ones being tortured, or the fact that she hadn't batted an eye to it at all in the moment. His quirk was truly terrifying.

True to his word, he'd started them off slow, asking her to stop after a half hour of cycling through what Daichi had forced into her head. The worst she'd felt was reflecting back on the images once Hitoshi had let go of her hands, but at most it made her shiver and tear up.

The prospect of her recovery had just increased about a thousand times, and Hina found she looked forward to her next appointment the following week. It gave her the courage to step up and seek out one particular person who she needed to see. No more putting it off.

Turning the opposite direction of her apartment, Hina headed down the path to where the 1-B student dorms were. Built with the same specifications as class 1-A's building, the teacher apartments were set just behind the tall dormitory. With a frown, she realized she'd never gone this way. She'd never come to visit before. That would have to be fixed in the future as well.

The dark-red brick teacher apartments were lit with a lamp post right in between the doors, illuminating both doorways. Vlad King's window was black, no doubt having already gone to bed perhaps. Midnight's however, was lit inside, and she could see shadows moving around inside.

Before this temporary boost in determination fled her, Hina raised her fist and gave several sharp raps against the door, quieting whoever was inside the apartment. There was a moment of silence, then a shuffle of noise as someone came to the door.

It opened a moment later to a casually dress Hizashi, looking surprised to see her there. "Hina! What brings you here? Did Midnight invite you?"

The redhead heard a panicked 'Hina!?' from inside, but ignored it. "No, but I wanted to stop by and see her. What are you doing here?"

He gave a shrug, opening the door wider to let her inside. "Just hanging out. It's my night off from the station. We haven't really had a big get together in awhile, so I figured..."

Hina nodded, seeing her friend sitting on the couch and pointedly not looking in her direction. Devoid of makeup and dressed in comfortable pajamas, she looked nothing short of tired. She was blatantly nervous now that Hina was here, and it made the telepath sigh in disappointment. Mic closed the door and seemed to notice the palpable tension in the air. They all heard him clear his throat awkwardly.

"Uhh...Nemuri, I'm gonna...use your bathroom." And with that clear excuse as a retreat, he disappeared down the hallway and shut the door behind him. They both heard the sink turn on, as if assuring them that he wasn't secretly listening to any conversation that would occur. As if that was a concern, but hey, it was the thought that really counted.

Hina looked back at the black-haired woman, who stared down at her fidgeting fingers. Her eyes were narrowed in a painful wince. "How are you, Nemuri?" She asked.

"Good. I'm...good." The train wreck that was the start to this discussion was almost enough to make Hina leave. But they needed to get this out of the way. And she missed her best friend. "How are you?"

"Doing a lot better than I would have thought, actually." She said honestly, and Nemuri spared her a glance before look back down at her hands. "I'm really lucky to have so many people supporting me, or I might not have been released from the hospital this soon."

"Mmm..."

"I wanted to-"

"Can I just...say something before you go any further? To...get it off my chest." The woman interrupted suddenly, and Hina nodded from curiosity and surprise.

"Ok."

Her hands wrung themselves worriedly in her lap. "I've just got so much to say...and no idea how to say it all. I'm so sorry for having left you behind that night, I never should have left you alone, and seeing what happened to you after has almost been too much for me. I was so close to quitting this job..."

Her voice shook with barely restrained sorrow. "Everyone keeps trying to tell me it wasn't my fault, but it was. I know it was. You were alone, and had that not been the case, maybe your brother wouldn't have gone after you that night, and maybe you never would have been put in that coma."

"And I'm so sorry for not...visiting. I just...I couldn't bear to see you like that because of what I did." She sniffed, taking off her glasses to wipe away at the tears that had begun to fall. "The week you wouldn't wake up was...hard on all of us. None of could do anything to help, I had never gotten a chance to say I was sorry or make up for what happened, and after I heard you had woken up, it just didn't feel right to face you. After all you'd been through-"

Hina took a step towards her. "Nemuri-"

"-I don't blame you if you can't stay friends with me like we used to be, or if it'll take time. I understand. Maybe you can't stand the sight of me, or-"

Another step. "Nemuri-"

"-if you need space, I get that too. Whatever you need, I can...I can..." The black-haired teacher finally lifted her eyes enough to look at Hina, half afraid of the expression she'd find there, but there was only pain and the worry that she felt she wasn't deserving of in the slightest.

Before she could say anything more, Hina stepped closer and wrapped her arms around the art teacher, hugging her close and squeezing her in as hard as she was willing to. Her chin rested on the back of Nemuri's shoulder, and Hina's eyes closed.

"Please let go of this burden you're carrying..."

Hina heard Nemuri released a stuttering breath, and her body shook. Then a moment later, she was enveloped in just as tight a hug as the one she was receiving, and the two women held each other tight in comfort and apology. Understanding, self-forgiveness, and the slow realization that the lingering sense of guilt was unnecessary.

"I'm sorry..." Nemuri sobbed into Hina's hair, shoulders shaking with grief. "I'm so sorry..."

"There is nothing to forgive." The redhead whispered, waiting as her friend let out everything she'd been building up since her abduction over 2 months ago. "You did nothing wrong."

"I left you-"

"You did what you needed to. As a hero." Hina replied sternly. "I would never fault you for that."

"You got hurt."

"Because I wasn't strong enough to protect myself. That's on me." She squeezed her friend. "Let go of the guilt, it's killing you. And I can't stand to see you so upset over something like this. Please...let me take on the responsibility of my own weakness."

Nemuri shook her head against Hina's neck, refusing to accept her admission of weakness, but didn't try to keep pressing the issue, thankfully. For several minutes, they simply sat there, letting the guilt fade and the grief overflow, and finding comfort in the fact that their friendship had not faded.

* * *

There was one last place Hina needed to visit before going home. During her appointment with Dr. Nagata, he'd stressed the importance of unloading the burden her emotions. It was his first instruction as her therapist.

_Talk through your emotions with someone you trust. Start small, if necessary. How you feel at the end of the day, how your last anxiety attack made you feel. Things like that. But take steps to begin trusting in someone to help you cope with what has happened to you. Recovery can be a team effort. Is that something you can do for me?_

It certainly was. And there was only one person she knew who she trusted enough to talk about all of this with.

Shouta answered her knock after only a moment, eyebrows raising upon seeing her standing at his doorway. "Hina, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to see you." She said with a smile, stepping past the threshold when he opened the door wider to let her inside. He shut it behind him, and she noticed a stack of papers on his kitchen table, scattered in three separate piles. "Are you grading?"

"Yeah, I'm a bit behind." He answered, scratching at the back of head tiredly. He eyes the table with trepidation. "I think I should stop assigning homework so often."

"Hmm, I'm sure the students would agree with you." Hina replied offhandedly, suddenly hesitant to bring up the real reason for her visit. If he was so far behind on work, perhaps another time would be better. Not to mention, he looked exhausted. Even more so than usual. She still had a whole week before her next appointment-

"Something on your mind?" He asked, eyeing her conflicted expression and snatching her attention away from the assignments he'd been grading.

She searched his expression. He met it with patience, waiting for her to answer. And when she finally decided that maybe, just this once, she'd impose upon his time, she looked away.

"I wanted to talk. To you." She said. "I don't want to barge in while you're working, but-"

"Remember what I said on our first date?" He asked in slight amusement, making her look up again. "You're worth making time for. Putting off these papers another night won't be the end of the world."

So saying, he took her wrist and guided her to the living room's couch. The apartment had been mostly dark, but he flipped on a standing lamp in the corner of the room to give them a little bit of light to work with. With a gentle nudge, he indicated for her to sit on one end of the couch, himself on the other. Still within reaching distance, but allowing her some space should she need it. Clearly, whatever was on her mind held some importance.

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

_Last chance to back out, Hina. _

"Everything." Was her initial answer, despite knowing that the doctor had recommended to start slow and small. She was too eager to get everything out in the open. "All the things I haven't been able to say up until now. About...Daichi escaping prison and Kamino Ward, and what...happened. Why I was in that coma. And how I put myself back together. And everything after that, how I feel and what I have inside my head now. I want to...to just...get it out of my system."

At first, he'd seemed surprised, but it quickly vanished and his gaze lost some of the fatigue that had settled in his eyes when she'd first shown up.

"I'm willing to listen. To whatever you need to say." Was his answer, the mild curiosity melting away to something she couldn't quite identify. Whatever it was, she knew it was genuine, and kind, and something she could place her trust in that he would hear her out without making her feel like a burden. That anything she had to say wouldn't be met by deaf ears.

That he would care enough to give a damn what she felt.

And so she spoke.

The words came out, and they kept coming. So hesitant to reveal her troubles and insecurities so openly before, once Hina began she couldn't seem to stop.

Rambling on and on about how Daichi's escape had petrified her to the very core. That she had hoped never to have to deal with him again after locking him away the first time, content to let him remain a bad memory and nothing more. The guilt that each and every one of his victims placed onto her, and how she'd felt this insurmountable hurdle to overcome when she'd realized that she was the sole person with the right quirk to fix the damage he'd done.

Hina sobbed through her experiences of Kamino Ward, of how there had been so many dead that she hadn't been able to save, and the ghost-like survivors who were barely hanging on. The haunted, the dead, and the dying, and how it was difficult to determine who was who in that war-zone of a debris field. The gruesome, dusty, bloody scenes of death that left her afraid that no matter how hard she tried, there were no further survivors left to be found. She shivered, remembering clearly the distant cries and wails of those she'd never have any hope of finding, no matter how long or hard she searched through that wreckage or cracked stone and broken metal. And how each corpse's unending stare into the heavens above had seemed to accuse her of being in some way responsible for their death.

The terror she'd felt upon realizing that Daichi had indeed found her and captured her had been debilitating. She spoke of her eventual resignation that she would die there before the glimmers of hope forced her to fight back against the mental attacks. It was hard to describe the desperation in her efforts of upholding her mental wall, but she tried her damndest to make it make sense out loud. How everything had depended on her own willpower overcoming his own.

And then the moment it had all shattered in a searing pain and the dousing of a light. Hina had run out of tears by the time she explained how time had stopped and she watched the fragments of her mind float above her for what had seemed like weeks, out of reach and a reminder that she'd been too weak to protect herself or those she cared so much about. The numbness, the feeling that she somehow deserved this never-ending void as the end to her life.

Hina told Shouta how the helplessness had morphed to hope, having caught a glimmer of a memory in one of the shards, and how she'd tried absolutely everything possible to piece who she'd been back together. The way her hands had been reduced to nothing more than muscle and the white slivers of bone underneath a canvas of blood, the nerve-endings long having been sliced off by the shards. Through a mixture of scream-inducing nightmares and depictions of him and the students being tortured over and over again, she'd begun thinking that she had indeed already died and was trapped in a perpetual hell. But that through it all, she knew she had to put the pieces together.

And somehow, it had worked. The glowing orb that had previously been her consciousness had slowly began to build as she forcing the shards to construct themselves back into their appropriate places, following a pattern or timeline she hadn't been able to understand at the time. Stained red with dried blood, it had eventually formed the original orb. And the moment she'd placed the last piece, she'd been spat back out into reality.

Fresh tears slid down her cheeks as she described her nightmares after the fact, haunted by the images Daichi had crammed into her mind, unable to escape them when she fell asleep. And the way she'd had moments where she'd been certain that all of this was simply the most elaborate ruse Daichi could have come up with, only to yank her back into the hellish prison she'd been in before in an effort to break her. The paranoia had caused many a panic attack.

Throughout it all, Shouta listened without a word. Hina could hardly look at him during the breakdown of her turbulent feelings, and she eventually closed the distance on the couch between them. Shouta pulled her into his side, placing her head against his chest so she could listen to his heart beat as she recounted the rest of her experiences. His breathing had become shallower as she finished speaking, hand loosely buried in her hair to hold her close.

When his apartment was plunged into a thick silence, Hina having run out of things to speak of, she felt him lean down to place his lips at the top of her head and keep them there. Her eyes closed, taking strength from the warmth of his embrace and the way he breathed beneath her ear.

And when he finally pulled away to take her face in her hands, bringing them face to face, she was shocked to see the evidence of track marks down his own cheeks, eyes red from his own grief. She'd never seen him cry before. Never seen him so moved with sorrow like this. He gently wiped away at her own cheeks, searching her face for something she couldn't say.

"You're the stronger person I've ever met..." He whispered between them. And when she opened her mouth to refute such a claim, he covered her lips with his thumb. "Even after everything, after all of what you just described to me...you're still _here_. Alive and improving. And _that's_ your strength. You're ability to _endure_ and overcome."

Hina was so moved by the revelation, that her strength lay not in how hard she could throw a punch or a kick, her speed or flexibility, or how inspiring she could be to the masses...that she began crying again in earnest. All this time, it was always so intangible to her, to say she was strong when compared to All Might or Endeavor, or any of the other heroes she worked with on a daily basis. It had been easy to deny and brush aside as words meant to make her feel better.

The ability to endure...Hina could finally grasp at the concept of persistence as a measure of strength. And it was like a weight had been lifted from her heavy, shaking shoulders. She was not weak. And for once she could say such a thing without that tiny, nagging worm of doubt at the back of her mind.

All this time...Hina _was_ strong. In her own way.

Happiness began to flood through her grief, and she pressed herself back into Shouta's chest, shaking as she sobbed. He kept her against him, letting her take all the time she needed to get it out of her system and come back to her composure.

Minutes passed before her sniffling faded and she could breathe a bit easier against his shirt. Pushing herself up, she looked into his face. "Shouta...thank you for being here for me."

"Thank you for trusting me." He replied, an amount of relief behind his gaze. His fingers combed through her hair to smooth it out as he thought to himself. "You should stay tonight."

"But your papers..." She trailed off, head turning to look at the assignments he still had yet to grade. She didn't want to completely prevent him from working on them the rest of the day. He gently guided her chin back to look at him, and he flashed her a small smile.

"They aren't important. Are you still having nightmares?" He asked instead.

"Yeah..."

"If you have another one, I'll be there. Maybe you can get a bit more rest if you aren't alone."

The thought was appealing, and all of the emotional baggage she'd just unpacked had left her feeling drained and in desperate need for some shut eye. There really wasn't a downside to this, other than Shouta's neglected work. But as he'd told her. It wasn't important.

"Ok."

She let him pick her up to bring her into his bedroom. Hina found herself falling asleep in his arms even before he'd made it to the bed itself. Through a fog of fatigue, she could only barely discern the feeling of someone settling beside her, and a soft comforter coving her body.

That night was the best sleep she'd gotten in months.

* * *

A/N- Ah, it was about time for her to open up about everything she's faced so far. And Shouta is so supportive to listen. Plus, Midnight will finally let go of the guilt! There's nothing a big 'ol hug can't fix.

As always, follow and favorite if you have enjoyed so far! And don't forget to leave me a review with what you think of the story so far! We're in the home stretch now, not too many chapters left, so I hope you do provide your closing thoughts on how it all wrapped up once we get to that point. :) Feedback is super important to me improving!


	40. Chapter 40

A/N- For those of you who are **younger than the age of 18, look away** and preserve your innocence because this chapter is nothing but **FLUFFY, LEMONY SMUT**. That is right, the time has come. There is nothing but a nice steamy scene for you lovely adults, so enjoy and let me know how it reads! I'm always very critical about smut scenes, so please please please critique it! I want to make sure it flows well and doesn't distract or sound off. It would be much appreciated. :)

**musiome-** I'm very excited to write for him! His relationship dynamic will definitely be much different than Aizawa's so we will see if I'm skilled enough for that new hurdle. :)

**AnimeFan4Eternity-** Mic is Best Boi (Other than Aizawa of course.) Yeah, it was some pretty gruesome stuff she had to get through while putting her mind back together. Definitely explains her crazy reaction upon waking up. And that's super cool about the OC!

**Otakugirl1996-** If you're wanting fluffy emotional scenes, prepare yourself once again my friend. ;)

**Dippy Egg-** In the bathroom? Oh no XD I don't believe your vow. You will cave. I can feel it. ;) Though you're lucky this is being posted on a Friday night.

Onwards!

* * *

The comforting smell of Shouta's sheets as she woke up in the morning kept her from immediately opening her eyes, content to just lay there for as long as possible. Pretending that she never had to wake up and face the day. Her skin was warmed from the comforter tucked up to her shoulders, and the happiness that buzzed in the pit of her stomach. She shifted on her pillow, tucking her feet into the covers in an effort to dispel the morning chill.

It wasn't like she hadn't slept over before, but after the previous night's emotional outburst, the morning felt...different somehow. Better. Like something had changed. Offhand, she couldn't put a name to it, but her chest felt lighter, and her shoulders perhaps not so heavy. A lightness that had been missing for a long time.

Hina's mouth twitched upwards at the sound of a muffled snore. With a few blinks to let them focus through the bleariness and brightness, her eyes opened to look at the amazing man laying beside her. Through the mess of black hair splayed out across the pillow and over his eyes, she could make out her sleeping partner's face. Her smile widened, and she reached out to gently move the stray strands out of his face.

He was always so peaceful when he was asleep. All of his worries and stresses just melted away, and his expression wasn't marked with the passive frown and half-lidded eyes she was so used to. That image of total tranquility on his face was comforting, and Hina made sure to save this moment in her memory, memorizing every little detail.

She took one of the locks and rolled it between her fingers. Soft. His fluffy and messy hair was something she'd always appreciated. He didn't ever seem to put too much effort into his appearance, unless he expected to appear in front of the public or parents of the students. More often than not, it looked like he'd barely combed it out, let alone styled it. Save for the times he wore a half bun or tied up, he really didn't do much with it. It was cute, she thought.

Reaching up, her fingers touched at his right cheek, gently trailing along his skin and over the bump of his nose's bridge. They continued to the jagged scar just under his eye where he'd been injured at USJ. The skin was smooth now, darker in color where the skin had torn, but otherwise healthy now. She remembered feeling incredibly worried about him after learning of the accident, and was glad that he'd been able to walk away from it with only this scar and not more lasting damage. Hina saw it as a testament to his strength and bravery.

Her finger continued to the side of his face, then down into the short scruff of the makings of a beard present along his jaw. It was rough and prickly beneath the pad of her finger, but pleasant. He always looked handsome, but Hina definitely preferred him with the facial hair. There was something about it that just made him look incredibly attractive to her. Mature and slightly rugged.

Those exploring finger then swooped upwards, tracing the edge of lips that she loved so much, marveling at the softness. Lips that had spoken such kind things about her, and unpleasant truths, teased and supported her, and that she'd kissed many a time. Each breath out through his nose warmed the tips of her fingers.

A flicker of movement. Her eyes tracked up. Shouta's sleepy eyes were trained on her, watching silently. Hina drew her hand back now that he was awake, feeling a little bit embarrassed for having woken him up this way, but he caught hold of her wrist and returned her fingers to his mouth. His dark eyes never leaving her own, he placed small kisses on their tips.

Whatever quiet had settled over them didn't break, even as his lips travelled to her palm and then further down to her wrist. She felt a lump in her throat. There was something so incredibly intimate watching him do so, as if she were a fragile keepsake worth cherishing. Hina couldn't look away. No one had ever looked at her like that before.

Her fingers reached out again and managed to trail down the column of his throat, and he released his hold on her wrist. She watched him swallow, but was distracted when his own fingers began tracing just under her jaw line, and under her chin. Exploring just as curiously, just as reverently. Neither could recall a time when they'd touched each other like this. The redhead nearly shivered from the sensation.

She dragged hers lower, finally reaching the edge of the t-shirt he hadn't bothered changing out of when they'd gone to sleep the night before. For a fleeting moment, Hina wondered what he'd do if she tugged on the collar. The air was heavy with whatever currently had built between them, and she didn't want to inadvertently break this vigil because of her less than innocent impulses. Those concerns began to melt away when his hand slid up and behind her ear, slowly pulling her into a gentle yet insistent kiss.

Her eyes shut, focusing entirely on the feel of their lips moving together. His 5 o'clock shadow bristled her jaw, and she reached up to cup his cheek in response, brushing her thumb under his eye as they kissed. A soft sigh escaped her, feeling his hands drift down her neck and then further past to feel the skin of her shoulder.

Languid movements, slow kisses, and the gentle exploration of the visible skin between them. Hina had never known a better Sunday morning.

Needing oxygen, they pulled away, just enough to catch their breaths, but unwilling to part more than a few inches from the other. Shouta's hand traveled down the side of her shirt, making her wish the clothing wasn't there so she could feel his fingers on her skin some more. It stopped at her hip, holding her in place as he moved in to capture her lips again.

Hina's heart couldn't take much more of the sweetness, practically buzzing from within. Making up her mind and figuring that he'd raise an objection if he opposed it, Hina pulled away from the kiss and pushed herself to sit up in the bed.

The cold air hit her body as the comforter slipped down past her shoulders, and it made her shiver. Reaching down, she took a hold of the hem of her shirt. But Shouta's hands settled themselves on her own, making her stop as he too sat up beside her. The redhead frowned a little, the subtle sting of disappointment preparing a question on her lips, but something in his gaze kept her silent.

His fingers wove their way under her own hands, gently guiding her to lay back down on the bed. Shouta shifted to kneel on either side of her legs. Hina watched with growing understanding as he slowly lifted the hem of her shirt with his hands, uncovering her skin inch by inch. He'd wanted to do it himself, she'd realized. She let out a tiny gasp, watching as his head lowered and his lips placed kisses onto her torso.

Again, his stubble scratched against her skin, but it did something to the pit of her stomach that was pleasant and slightly overwhelming. That slow tingle of pleasure began in her body.

Ever higher his lips traveled, not missing any part of her skin on his way. The fabric bunched around her armpits, Shouta fully lifted the shirt over her head. Discarding it off to the side without a glance. Hina's hands settled themselves in his hair, fingers tightening when his mouth lowered to her sternum, just between the cups of her bra, and lavished the skin with more kisses. Her breaths were fast and shallow, focusing on the feeling of his body hovering over hers.

The attention was nothing short of romantic. If under the comforter had felt warm, then this was surely stifling. Hina's face felt hot. Was she bright red? There was a distinct possibility.

His lips reached the hollow of her throat, up higher to the skin of her neck, before returning to her own to guide her in another kiss. She felt more than heard his quiet exhalation of breath as she ran her tongue along his bottom lip. The appendages met and teased one another, never rushing or demanding a faster pace.

Feeling under-dressed compared to him, Hina's hands grabbed onto Shouta's shirt and began lifting it off of him with a bit more haste. He pulled back enough to allow the garment to be pulled over his own head, revealing the expanse of his torso to her. And he really was marvelous.

Eyes falling to the newly exposed skin, her hands traveled up and over each sign of a past injury she saw, leaving no scar untouched. She felt him shudder as her hands met his collar bones, before reversing and smoothing their way back down his chest with leisure. His muscles grew taut, as if he were holding his breath at her touch.

Their panting breaths filled the space between them. Hina's eyes raised to gaze into his eyes again, his expression teeming with passion and the desire to go further. She wondered if he saw the same in her own face. Encouraged by the want within those dark irises, Hina reached underneath her and clumsily fumbled to unclip the strap of her bra, eyes never leaving his.

She felt the tiny hooks separate, before pulling it away from her body and revealing her bare breasts to him for the first time. Hina had always wondered if she would have been shy about reducing herself to her most vulnerable in front of this man, but there was only an eager anticipation that stirred in her lower regions as his eyes broke away to gaze at her. She saw nothing but appreciation and lust in his sultry stare.

His fingers brushed the sides of her breasts teasingly, making her gasp at the tingles the touches sent to her nipples. They reversed course and trailed back up, this time circling the pink nipples before his thumbs flicked against them. She nearly jolted, a bolt of pleasure shooting down to her heat at such a small act. Hina gasped, toes curling in her socks.

Shouta seemed fascinated by her reaction, repeating it a moment later. His fingers danced and squeezed her flesh, as if taking note of each little gasp and restrained whine it produced. Hina was on the verge of forcefully taking his hands and putting them exactly where she wanted to be touched most, but the thought was interrupted by his mouth descending onto one of the mounds instead.

She tensed, reveling in the wetness and warmth of his tongue caressing her nipple. Hina pressed her head back further into the pillow, attempting to arch upwards in an effort to allow more of her breast to be lavished by his mouth. He obliged, sucking her skin with pleasure, his hand caressing her other mindlessly. He continued winding her tight, then trailed off to the side and gently nipped on the fleshy mound.

Hina whimpered at the tiny flash of pain that accompanied the bite, a split second before he gave it a small lick as apology. His mouth then trailed off to her neglected breast, treating it with much the same attention and earning more tense breaths, gasps, and stifled moans.

Wanting more, her head quickly filling with desire and emptying itself of anything that didn't directly pertain to this man, Hina snaked a hand down between them and flattened her palm on the front of his pants. Shouta let out a surprised grunt, biting her breast as she began to rub the rough fabric over top the bulge that was rapidly hardening underneath it. His breath stuttered for a moment, before he pulled away from her chest and claimed her lips again in a passionate kiss.

Hina didn't let him distract her, wanting to make him feel just as good as he was making her. His hips twitched, rocking involuntarily into her touch through his pants, and she smiled against his mouth in pride that it was her own hands making his control slip, if only a little.

They broke away for air, gazing into one another's lust-drunk expressions. But underlying that was a tenderness they both shared and knew intimately. With her other hand, Hina reached up and cupped his cheek, wanting to speak but unable to find the right words that wouldn't ruin the moment. He seemed in a similar predicament, and so instead opted to reach down and tug at the zipper of her own pants.

It took a moment of awkward shuffling and shifting aside so that Hina could shimmy herself out of the pants, but with Shouta's help it wasn't too complicated. Clad only in her undergarments now, she reached down to work on ridding him of his own bottoms. He rested his forehead against hers, puffing out quick breaths from the friction she was rubbing into his pants.

Hina stopped entirely when she felt two of his fingers slip beneath the top of her panties, her mouth opening in a shocked and stimulated gasp. Shouta practically purred at the sound, nipping at her bottom lip with his teeth as his fingers insistently rubbed at the most sensitive point.

The nerves shot electrical signals throughout her body, making her twitch with pleasure. Her breathing became stuttered and was overtaken by soft mewls rather than simple exhalations of air. Each small sound only fueled his desire to hear more, his fingers quickening and experimenting to find the exact spot in which to elicit the most pleasure.

Overwhelmed by how quickly she could feel that tight feeling of release building, Hina's hand finally shot down and stopped him from continuing, lest she fall apart right then and there. As way of explanation, she refocused her attention on getting those damn pants off of him before the swirling desire left her without any reason at all.

Shouta seemed to get the memo and sat back to help, panting as he released himself from his confines. Hina stared unashamedly, sitting up as well to reach out to gently stroke the bare flesh when he'd settled himself back in front of her. She heard a shaky exhale from him, then a further, guttural groan as she began a steady pace.

His hands found the sides of her head and their lips met once more, pouring as much as he could into the gesture alone, since words felt inadequate right here and now. Hina's body pulsed, eager at the prospect of feeling his hot member inside of her. Their teeth accidentally clicked together, their shaky and impatient movements causing them to bump against each other. Neither minded.

His body gently pressed her back into the bed beneath him, their kiss never breaking as their bodies aligned. She was forced to let go of him, but settled for wrapping her legs around his back, rolling her hips upwards to meet his length. Her desperate gasp made him groan low in his throat. His hips pressed forward, grinding into hers and causing her whine to take on a higher pitch. It felt so good, and both of their heads were quickly spiraling into a single thought.

With the last shreds of her clarity still intact, Hina scrambled for his hand and forcefully pressed it up against the inside of her upper arm, hoping he'd understand the significance of the metal implant under the skin. It took a moment, but his huffed exhale was answer enough, before he kissed her again and threw them both under the waves of lust drowning them in mutual desire.

Their bodies centered, chests heaving, the heat between them sweltering. Their kiss broke as he settled at her entrance, gazes locked. Hina's mouth opened in a silent whimper as he began pushing further. They both let out achingly sweet groans of pleasure, stunned by the staggering feeling of being joined. And when their hips met, Shouta dropped his forehead to her neck, panting against her skin as he allowed her time to adjust.

Hina lacked the capacity to say much of anything in that moment. Her legs tightened around his waist, hands gripping his biceps with strength. As if letting go would cause her to implode from her own release. As hard as she tried, she couldn't release all of the tension from her body. It had been a long time, and she surely needed the moment to get used to the feeling of the intrusion.

Testing the waters, she pushed her hips back into the mattress before rolling them forward. Shouta helped her along, slowly dragging out before pushing in again. Hina knew it was difficult for him, his muscles shaking with effort. The sluggish pace, after a few more thrusts, was enough to make her comfortable with something more.

Using her legs, she squeezed on Shouta's waist, urging him to continue. He gladly responded, setting an easy rhythm. Her body rocked gently with each thrust. Hina's hands switched from his arms to trailing down his chest, amazed that he was giving this all to her freely, that this was her reality, and that the man she'd always admired from a distance had become someone so incredibly important to her.

Shouta reached up and held her hand in place against his chest. Their eyes met. Hina felt her heart swell as she watched him wince from an overabundance of emotion and sensation. His pace quickened, pulling louder and sweeter cries from within her chest.

Body hot with sweat and that building feeling in the pit of her stomach, her toes curled again within her socks, still on her feet and forgotten in their haste. Shouta hunched over and placed his hands on either side of her head, his own head lowered as he doubled his efforts.

Had Shouta a headboard for his bed, Hina knew it would have caused quite a noise against the wall, and was thankful that he didn't use one. So caught up in their passion and exertions, she selfishly savored the fact that this moment, all the groans he let slip and the way he looked at her and his unbridled desire to come undone with her, was something she alone got to experience.

Her body crossed a threshold then, and Hina let out a choked whimper. One hand reached down to rub at her own sensitive bundle, wanting to come as close as possible to his own release.

Shouta's heavy, labored breaths accompanied a frantic increase in speed, and she kept up as much as she could, her own self-ministrations hurtling herself closer to that blinding white flash of ecstasy. Her thighs twitched as the pleasure built upon itself, exponentially growing until her entire body tensed as the dam broke and she was wracked with an unimaginable pleasure. Hina gasped out a broken moan, inadvertently causing her partner's own release with her cries.

With a deep, ragged moan of his own, Shouta tensed and stilled within her. His muscles shook as he rode the pulsing sweep of euphoria. They held each other through the sensations of their own orgasms, breaths clashing in the space between them. They shared a silent stare, too tired to yet speak.

Minutes passed, the pair taking the necessary time to recovery their energy and do more than just gain their breath back. Hina stared up at Shouta lovingly, watching as he carefully extracted himself from her wet thighs. She shivered and whimpered as her overstimulated nerves were brushed against.

He reached down and grabbed his discarded shirt, cleaning himself off before delicately running the cloth over her own mess. Hina smiled, legs twitching with aftershocks when he accidentally pressed too hard. His easy, lopsided smile watched the way her body reacted to his touch. Tossing the dirty shirt towards where his hamper was, he looked back down at her.

Hina sat up, leaning forward to place a soft kiss at his lips. Their fevered pace was gone, replaced with the slow, exploratory one they had first taken. His hands cradled her cheeks, leading them through the kiss until they had need to breathe again.

Shouta looked at her with so much in his eyes, it nearly made her gasp. "I love you, with everything that I have. And maybe that's going against our decision of taking things slow, but..."

The redhead chuckled under her breath, sporting the brightest smile he'd ever seen. "That's not fair, I was just about to admit it first. Figured it might have come off wrong, right after sex and all..."

"I want to hear you say it." He pressed insistently, voice lowering darkly.

"I love you." She replied, and he let out a heavy breath, lips descending onto the skin of her neck.

"Again."

"I love you, Shouta Aizawa." She repeated, her tone wavering as he pressed several kisses just below her jaw. His teeth nipped at the skin and she gasped. At this rate, they'd end up spending another half hour here in the bed, but Hina was honestly starving. With a chuckle, she ran her finger through his hair and tugged the strands back so he'd look at her. "How about some breakfast before we starve during round two?"

* * *

A/N- So? Satisfactory? Looking back, I'm really glad I decided to hold off on their smut scene until around this time. Originally, it was going to be a bit more aggressive, but after thinking about their relationship, soft and slow and fluffy was how I ultimately prefer their first time. Let me know if you agree? What was good about it? What needs improvement?

Follow, favorite, and leave a review to help me out and show some support! ;)

(Only 2 chapters left, my lovelies.)


	41. Chapter 41

A/N- Hello again, and thank you all for your enthusiasm for a Present Mic fic! :) I intend to (maybe) start a one-shot/short story story for Hina and Shouta, which will just be a compilation of all of their little life snippets. If that is something you would be interested in, please let me know! I'm still tossing the idea around. I've also got a short fic idea for her and Shouta, but set in Edo Period, Japan. Does that sound cool? I've got too many ideas...

Due to the large number of reviews in the last chapter, I'll be saving them for the end of the chapter! So with out keeping you here any longer...

Onwards!

* * *

It was getting increasingly difficult to convince himself that the pale yellow fragments of crystal floating in the space above were simply stars in the night sky. He knew the truth regardless, no amount of lying to himself would do any good. This dark, cold place was inescapable.

And for as hard as he tried to find some way out of the void, his feet never seemed to carry him anywhere. What must have been days upon days of walking, the shards never leaving his sight, left him no closer to figuring a way out of his...mind. It was hard to wrap his head around, that he was stuck inside his own consciousness.

The telepath had said he was in some sort of coma. Or it was the closest equivalent she could come up with. How long could a body remain alive in such a circumstance? If he died...would he even know? Was this his perpetual in-between when his body drew it's last breath? How uncool. What a way to go...

He wasn't sure how long he'd been stuck in here, wandering, searching, and finally waiting, for some sort of help to come. All the blustering in the world wouldn't change the simple fact that Mister Blaster needed help. Even the redhead lady hadn't been convinced that he could handle things on his own. He could tell by the expression before she'd disappeared entirely. That had been so long ago.

She'd promised. That woman had vowed to find a way to put him back together. Where was she? She'd claimed to be a hero, but was he waiting for a rescue that would never come? The hero waited. He waited and waited, never growing hungry or feeling any more tired than he already did. This existence was a dull and mute affair.

Some time ago, he'd sat up, just staring up at the shards. Unable to take his eyes off them. For all he knew, it could have been a year, maybe a decade, just staring up at them. Nothing changed, nothing moved except for the shards, tumbling in place above him.

Until something did. A figure stepped in from the edge of his peripherals. Without a sound, or warning.

He swung his head to look at them fully, recognizing the long red hair of the woman who had appeared to him before. "Y-you!" He cried, garnering her attention. He scrambled to his feet.

The shout made her step back, and he realized that she was probably thinking of the first time they met, when he'd been intent to pummel her into the floor. Realizing how aggressive his stance was, he cleared his throat and stopped where he stood. "You came back." He elected to say, unable to keep the awe from seeping through.

"I promised I would." She replied in a small voice, then looked back to the nearest yellow fragment. "I don't like to renege on things like this."

"What took you so long, anyway? I feel like I've been here forever." He gruffed in irritation, crossing his arms in an effort to mask just how terrified he had been that he'd never get out of here.

The moment he spoke the words, he regretted them. The woman winced and looked away with a pain that went deep behind her eyes. He shouldn't have said a damn thing. She was here now, he supposed. That was all that mattered.

"Uhh...never mind..." He muttered, shaking his head to try taking back the sting.

"It's been six months." She admitted nonetheless, eyes rising back up to the shard in front of her.

The longer he stared, the worse he realized she looked. It had been a long time, but he distinctly remembered a lot more life in her when she'd first appeared. Instead she was...Tired, sported obvious dark circles under the eyes. Pale skin. Overall haggard and disheveled. She clutched her hands to her chest.

"I'm sorry I haven't been able to help until now."

"It's...it's fine." He said with a swallow, feeling bad that he'd spoken so insensitively. Him and his big mouth...She ultimately came back to help, after all. The length of time shouldn't have mattered. Besides, there was only one thing he really cared about at the moment, which was... "Do you know how to get me out of here?"

"I do." She said, reaching up to the yellow fragment and grasping it in her hand.

Mister Blaster felt a wave of relief flood through him. He was finally getting out of here!

She let out a gasp of pain as the yellow fragment made contact with her skin, but refused to let go of it. He frowned, wondering what had happened. She walked to another one a little further away and took a hold of it in her other hand.

Watching what she was doing with interest, he blinked, then did a double take, noticing the streaks of red that began running down her arms. Hadn't she noticed she was injured? "H-hey! You're bleeding!" He pointed out with worry.

"I know." Her eyes began to glow a cyan blue, but she didn't release the shards, which were obviously causing her pain. That alone was concerning. Did she really need to bleed to help him get out of here? Jeez...

"This may take some time, but I'll do my best to help you." The telepath said, before the shards in her hands also began to glow.

* * *

Reality rushed back to her, and the first thing she heard was whimpering. Her own, she realized, feeling the tightly-wound bandages around her hands. As expected, waves of pain began rolling through her palms, pulling all of her focus to them.

The hospital room was bright, a stark contrast to the darkness of Mister Blaster's mind, and she blinked to readjust her vision. The two nurses who'd stood at her side now rushed to Mister Blaster's aid as he began showing signs of awakening. The monitoring machine's beeping began to pick up in pace, signs of consciousness and thought resuming.

Hina watched with a dull satisfaction as Mister Blaster opened his eyes and gasped painfully, awake for the first time in months. His eyes tracked jagged lines around the room, no doubt searching for any indication that this was some sort of trick or an illusion born out of desperation. She could relate.

Hina stood from her chair and stepped back several paces, letting the hospital staff do their job without getting in the way. By now, they had the procedure down pat, swooping in to check vitals and offer words of comfort to the newly awakened patient. Finding themselves back in the real world was a real shock, as Hina knew, and having that support would be vital in keeping them calm.

Her hands shook from the phantom pain, but it was done. All of it. Having been the last of the victims Daichi had rendered unconscious, Mister Blaster had been the final person for Hina to help. It had been a long and painful weekend, hours spent sitting and re-ruining her hands, but she'd somehow managed to bring everyone back from that void.

Mister Blaster's had been, predictably, the quickest repair. The damage to his psyche hadn't been nearly as extensive as Rock Lock, or Mr. Brave, or any of the other comatose heroes Daichi had targeted. At by the time she'd fixed two or three heroes' minds, she had figured the quickest and least painful ways of putting the broken fragments back together. It was a complicated and painstaking process, but manageable once you knew the structure of the mind.

Hina stood there a moment, making sure that he wouldn't be a danger to the hospital staff, hands shaking and trembling from the phantom slashes. There was no screaming like when she herself had woken up the first time, but then again, they hadn't needed to actually do any of the work to put themselves together. When it was apparent that he wouldn't go into a rage of confusion, Hina turned and began walking towards the door to leave.

"Wait!"

His exclamation stopped her, and she turned, seeing Mister Blaster's expression. Jaw set, face tight with discomfort, she could see the overwhelming gratitude swirling in his eyes, contrasting so completely with his hard exterior. Knowing his memories and thoughts made the significance much greater. As someone who loathed needing to ask for help, to admit to conceived weakness, he felt it necessary to drop those walls in order to show his appreciation here.

"Thank you..." He finally said in a quiet voice.

Hina managed a strained smile, and nodded in acceptance of his gratitude, before turning and leaving the room, allowing him to begin his recovery.

Shouta waited just outside, sitting in a chair across the hall as he promised he would. He'd been at her side through the other heroes' sessions, but he'd asked if she would be alright that he wait outside for her on this one. She hadn't fully understood why, until after seeing into Mister Blaster's memories.

Originally believing that the two of them were close school friends, it had come as a shock when she'd seen the dislike they'd both shared back when they'd been younger. The unresolved bad blood between them made things a bit clearer. He probably didn't want to stir up old grudges.

Seeing her leave the hospital room, Shouta stood and approached, worry marking his face when he noticed her bandaged limbs shaking. "How are your hands?"

Hina raised them a little then shrugged. "I'll manage. They're bad now, but it'll go away in a few days, I think. I've honestly just gotten used to them being in pain."

Knowing he couldn't do anything to help was obviously causing him a bit of grief, but she offered a knowing smile. With a tilt of her head, she gestured for them to walk towards the elevator at the end of the hallway. "Don't worry, Sho, I'm managing the anxiety. I've been doing really well with keeping the panic attacks to a minimum lately. Dr. Nagata says it's really good for only 2 months into therapy."

"I know you're doing well. That's not what I'm worried about..." He muttered, glancing at the bandages again. "I just don't like seeing you in pain."

"I know. And I love you for it. But you can't solve all my problems just because you want to." She teased lightly.

He gave a little scoff, and she chuckled. Despite the pain in her hand, she linked her arm through his and walked beside him as they reached the door to the elevator. He pressed the button, and the door opened after only a moment. They stepped inside and indicated the ground floor.

"Are you still going to train with Shinsou tonight?" Hina asked suddenly.

"Yeah, we postponed yesterday's lesson so he could get after school tutoring for another class." He explained. "I don't want him losing his progress by putting it off longer."

"How is he doing? Do you think he's on par with 1-A yet?"

Shouta's eyes narrowed, thinking for a moment. "Nearly. There are some things he needs work on, but for the most part, I would consider him equal with my class."

"Good." She smiled, resting her head on his shoulder. "I can't help but root for him. He's a very excellent student in class. And he reminds me a lot of you. You're both so dedicated. And tired all the time." She added with a little grin. The conversation was helping her keep her mind off the pain.

"Hmm. He asks questions about your quirk all the time." Shouta said, watching the elevator indicator tick down the floors. "One day, you should consider giving him a quirk training. Yours is the closest thing to his quirk that UA has available. Maybe you can give him some pointers."

"I hadn't even thought about it, but...that does make some sense." She remarked offhandedly, thinking about the possibility. "I'll consider it."

The elevator slowed to a stop, before the car dinged and the doors opened to reveal the ground floor. The both of them stepped out and headed for the front entrance. The sky was dark, and Hina's brows raised.

"It's night already?"

"You were in there for 5 hours." He said, watching her expression with amusement.

"Oh...I hadn't realized." As if to emphasize the time, her stomach growled and she laughed. "I would offer to cook since you were kind enough to wait with me all that time, but I think I'd probably burn something or drop the pot with these hands."

"How about we just pick something up on the way?" He offered, and she nodded eagerly.

"Ok, I'll buy. What are you in the mood for?"

"Whatever you want."

* * *

Late into the night, Shouta's table was covered in a mess of assignments in various stages of being graded. Around the stacks were the left over paper boxes of their Chinese food dinner. Left forgotten and mostly eaten. Crumpled napkins and empty drink glasses were placed in between the stacks of paper where they could fit. It was an unorganized chaos.

Having worked for several hours after getting back from the hospital, it had taken Hina a lot of convincing to get him to stop working and actually get some sleep. He finally agreed, on the condition that she stay the night, in case of nightmares. Seeing as she spent more time in his apartment than her own, it was an easy decision.

Just as tired as him, they found themselves close together under the covers. Hina's hands still gave her some trouble, but the warmth that circulated between them helped keep her mind off of it.

She laid on her side, head resting on Shouta's arm and body pressed against his. His other hand draped over her hip, keeping her close protectively. On the verge of sleep, she couldn't help but thank whatever higher power there was that her life had taken the direction it did.

Through fatigued, drooping eyes, she stared up at Shouta's face again before drifting off into a heavy sleep.

* * *

A/N- Aww, they're just the cutest together. She finally got everyone back to normal! I didn't want to write out all of the heroes getting fixed, as I feel it would have been repetitive and such, but Mister Blaster was the last to be that way, so he was the last to be fixed. I hope you enjoyed it at least!

**musiome-** Well, for fear of having the story go on too long, I've gotta end it. :) But if there's enough interest I'll definitely put together a prompt compilation for the two of them. This probably won't be the last you see of them!

**Dippy Egg-** I'm glad people seem to have liked their smut scene! Definitely some of the hardest stuff to do right. A sitcom? Well, I suppose a prompt compilation would suffice for that, lol.

**mimi4animax-** Thank you very much! :D

**Otakugirl1996-** Oh god, her teasing will be mind numbing levels of annoying, lol. And yes, I'm probably gonna put together one of those one-shot / prompt compilations for them, so this won't be the last of them! Be sure to think of stuff you want to see with them as well, because I might take requests.

**Neko Hoshi Hime Okami-** I listened to the song and I agree! For some reason I have always thought of Psycho by AViVA for Hina. Lol, don't know why.

**LordGrims-** You know I had to do it to 'em. I do be like that, though.

**RulerOfCats-** I'm glad you've enjoyed it! Timing and pacing is something I've always worried about, so it's nice to know that someone thinks I did well in that aspect. :)

**Callmeveroo-** :D Thank you much!

**AnimeFan4Eternity-** They'll have that happy ending. They both deserve so much, Shouta especially. That poor, lovely man.

**LadyAmazon-** Much thank! Very appreciate!

**Guest-** I'm glad you think so too. ;P

**Almathia-** Thank you! :D


	42. Chapter 42

A/N- You guys, this is it. The final chapter. I can't believe we're already here. What a journey it has been. I'm really no good with goodbyes, or endings, so I hope this one will suffice for now. I might go back and tweak if I feel I missed something after all.

I wanted to remind you all to make sure to follow me for notifications for my future stories! But, also, to ask a question of you! I mentioned in my last chapter that I wanted to do a story set in Edo-period Japan with this same pairing, and I'm really eager to do it. I, myself, am not qualified to draw even the most elementary of stick figures. That being said, I might be looking into commissioning the story cover from someone who knows their way around various art utensils. **Please PM me if you would take a commission like that or are interested! **Payment is something that can be discussed, and it is definitely not an immediately urgent request.

(Review responses are at the end of the chapter again, since there are so many of you beautiful reviewers!)

Onwards!

* * *

"Right this way, and please try not to look into the cells. Some inmates agitate easily."

Following the blue-skinned guard's instructions, Hina and Aizawa entered the Tartarus' high risk wing. If the heavily armored door didn't make it plainly obvious, the red painted lettering above the entrance certainly did. Everything was so gray and drab, thick walls of metal keeping the worst of Musutafu's criminals locked away and out of the city. Being here for the first time was...something else.

Hina glanced at her companion, who was much more composed about it all. Or, at least, that's what he projected outwardly. Her eyes glowed a dim blue, facing forward again.

_"Have you been here before?"_

**_"Only a few times, but not to this section. Never can get used to it, though. It has this...presence. Can you feel it?"_**

_"Yeah...like it's looming over me. As if it's alive, somehow. I'd hate to work here. It's creepy."_

_**"We can still turn back-"**_

_"No. I need to do this."_

Aizawa didn't say anything else after that, but she could still sense his unease, and it didn't all stem from the prison's disconcerting atmosphere, either. He'd been skeptical of this trip's value since she'd initially told him her intentions, but knew that he wouldn't outright prevent her from coming. He'd even scoffed at the idea of staying behind while she went alone. Always supportive, even through his doubts.

"Another left, nearly there." The guard said, appearing right at home and oblivious to their discomfort. "The high risk wing in particular is a bit of a maze if you ask me."

"I can see that." She replied offhandedly, still following behind their guide closely. They could hear muffled talking and laughing behind the numbered doors that lined the hallways they walked. Hina wasn't curious enough to go peeking through the windows or extending her quirk out, though. Who knew what sort of nasty things she'd find in these inmates' heads?

After turning their final corner, they came upon a dead-end section of the maze-like hallways, and the guard stopped in front of a door on the left. Numbered 58. He radioed to the tower to request an unlock, and after several moment the metal door's lock disengaged with a loud 'chunk.'

"His quirk suppression chip is in effect, as well as a small cocktail of dampening medications, so you don't have to worry about him getting into either of your heads." The guard said confidently, stepping inside and letting them both into the room after him.

Separating the small observation side of the cell was what looked like a glass wall. Though, Hina could see that it was nearly an inch thick, undoubtedly made of the strongest material the government could afford. Tartarus didn't take chances.

On the other side was a small, minimally furnished room. A bed bolted to the floor, and a toilet in the corner. Nothing had sharp edges, nothing visible that could be used to hurt one's self. And sitting with his eyes closed on the bed was Daichi.

Setting eyes on her brother caused a cold shudder to lock her spine. The cause of so much pain, and the months of recovery that it had taken to regain her sense of normal again. Hina hadn't anticipated a physical reaction to seeing him for the first time after he'd shredded his mind, and took an involuntary step back. But then reason took over and rooted her in place.

Aizawa reached out and set his hand on her shoulder to steady her. The redhead could feel his stare on the back of her head, no doubt worried that this was a bad idea after all, but she ignored it, instead breathing in and letting it all out slowly. She hadn't come this far just to turn back at the last moment. She'd spent months coming to the realization that this was something she needed to do. To gain control of her emotions and bring her that final sense of closure.

"Can he see us? Or hear us?" She finally said after settling the majority of her nerves.

"Nah, this is a two-way mirrored wall. Soundproof, too." The guard said casually, tapping on the glass with his knuckle a few times. The man inside didn't react. Then, he pointed to a raised panel standing just in front of the glass, with several labeled buttons. "We can change the opacity of the glass or turn on the intercom system if you want to talk to him, though."

Giving her partner a reassuring smile, Hina walked closer to the glass wall, really taking the time to inspect her brother now that she could stand to even look at him. The safety of being an unnoticed onlooker was helpful, too.

His hair had been cut, the longer locks she remembered seeing when he'd had her chained in the basement chopped off to be above his ears now. He looked thinner, too. But the bulky layers of his hoodie could've hidden that before. With his eyes closed, she couldn't tell exactly what he was thinking, but from his posture Hina guessed he was practicing some sort of meditation.

The white shirt and pants he was forced to wear was remarkably similar to the ones that she'd been given at the hospital as a recovering patient. The interior of the room was white as well, so very like the way his mind had looked when she got the chance to peek inside. Blank and completely blinding.

"Turn on the intercom." She finally said, eyes never wavering from her brother. The guard shuffled up beside her. There was a tiny click as he pressed the button, and a dull beep could be heard on the other side of the cell.

"Up and at 'em, kid. You've got some visitors." The guard said once the system activated.

"I'm in no mood to talk to the police." He replied flippantly, not bothering to move or react in any way. "And if it's another psychologist wanting to study me, I'm not and will never be interested. Go find someone else to be your best-seller."

"Daichi." Hina said simply, pleased that there was no evidence of apprehension in her voice whatsoever. His eyes snapped open, tensing at the mention of his name. The nonchalance was gone. Perhaps it had all been a show. Or perhaps he simply was taken aback entirely. Hina watched him take a steadying breath, the disbelief plain in his expression.

"That's not possible..." She heard him mutter.

"It is." She replied, reaching down to press the button labeled 'mirror.' Nothing visibly happened on their side, but the moment she took her hand off the panel, Daichi turned to stare straight at her.

He stood, slowly approaching the glass separating the two of them. He stared at her like she was a ghost. A dream. A figment of his imagination, perhaps. But underlying it was the anger that somehow, some way, she actually was here. Awake.

Alive.

The last time they'd been this close, he'd been crushing her mind into dust. Incredible what a matter of 9 months could do. They both were probably thinking the same thing, this time viewing the other from the opposite side of the wall. Hina was no longer the one trapped. Daichi was no longer in control. She could see the way he desperately searched for the past fear in her brown eyes. The way they narrowed when he couldn't find it, and the scowl that marked his expression were things she noticed immediately.

"How." Was his ugly demand, his composure slipping little by little. His height meant she still had to look _up_ at him, but she didn't let her gaze falter at his futile attempts at gaining some sort of power over her. He was in no position to try.

"I'm sure you'd love to know." Her reply caused him to growl, hands clenching at his sides.

"I crushed your mind. Tore it into pieces. " He spit in a chillingly calm voice. "I _broke_ you."

"_Look_ at me. Really look at me," Hina said with heat, gesturing to her eyes "and tell me that I'm broken."

A thick tension settled between the siblings, but it was Daichi who broke the staring match, eyes flicking to Aizawa who stood off to the side behind her. After several seconds of glaring at her companion, he leaned back and crossed his arms, eyes returning to her. This time, however, with more physical distance between them. Ha. "What is it you want?"

"Closure."

Daichi's eyes rolled. "What, another reunion?"

"No. I don't need you to talk. In fact, I don't _want_ you to. So shut up and listen to what I came to say."

He shot her another glare, angry with her response, but she barreled on before he got a chance to say anything in return.

"You're my brother. I won't say you're not, I won't try to deny you our family name because of what you are. I used to lament the fact that our family reputation was tarnished, but that can be fixed with my own hard work. I know mom and dad still loved you, despite what you were slowly becoming. And even after everything, I don't hate you."

Hina heard Aizawa let out a breath, no doubt indicating that even if she didn't, _he_ certainly did. "That being said, it's time I put you behind me. I've realized that no matter how much I want to see you change or redeem yourself, I'm going to be disappointed if I keep holding out that hope. There is nothing you can give to me by being in my life, and constantly worrying about you would only keep me stuck in the past. So, this is the last time we'll see each other. Think of this as a permanent estrangement.

"And, above all, I want you to know that all of the heroes you put in the hospital are also ok. I put them back together, too. All you are is an occasional nightmare, now. So don't forget, Daichi. None of us are suffering because of you anymore.

"We're alive and well, and between you and me..._I'm_ not the weak one."

After her little speech, she let out a pent up breath and turned to Aizawa. "Haa...That felt _really_ good to get out." She said with a little smile. Then she turned to the guard. "That's all I wanted to say. You can turn it off now."

"Righty-o." He said, cutting off the protest from the prisoner inside midway.

With another tap, he reversed the opacity of the glass, plunging Daichi back into the visage of his own reflection. He pounded once against the surface inanger, his face twisted in a snarl, but anything he said was blocked by the thick glass. Hina thought to herself that the soundproofing really was effective.

"You'd think he was some wild animal, with that expression." The guard muttered, shaking his head a little in wonder.

"Are you ready to go now?" Aizawa finally asked, drawing her eye.

She took another breath, identifying the feeling in her chest as...something pleasant, whatever it was, and nodded. "Yeah."

* * *

Hina stared out at the vast ocean as the taxi traversed the bridge stretching between Tartarus and the mainland. There was so much on her mind, but surprisingly, none of it pertained to Daichi. She'd settled into a silence after they'd left the prison, taking stock of her emotions.

"What's on your mind?" Shouta asked suddenly, and she turned away from the window's view to look at him. "You've been quiet."

"Honestly?" She gave a shrug. "Not Daichi. I'm just trying to figure out which lesson I need to switch next week so that they can study a few things in time for the next exam."

He nodded, seemingly happy with that answer. "I wasn't sure if you visiting him would've been a good idea, but I'm glad you got the closure you were looking for."

"Me too. Now I can leave all of that behind me and just focus on what I'm going to do to restore my family name."

"Everyone knows you healed the other heroes, so you've probably already done that." He pointed out, and she smiled.

"Well...some extra hero work here and there can't hurt either. I'll just keep doing my job and trust that he'll never get out of that prison."

"He won't." Shouta pressed resolutely.

Another silence settled between them, Hina's thoughts drifting. The muted sound of the car speeding along the roadway filled the silence. Hina finally smiled and shifted closer so she could lean into him. He accepted it without complaint, and even pulled her in closer."You've never really talked about your family. Do you have any siblings?"

"No. I was an only child."

Even without having asked, she could have guessed as much. Something about his personality just screamed only child to her. But, one never knew unless you asked. He'd surprised her before.

"I know Mic likes to think himself my brother, though."

Hina grinned. "And you?"

He let out a little huff. "I guess I do too. We've been through a lot together."

"I bet." She replied. "What of your parents?"

"They passed some time back." He admitted quietly, his thumb stroking up and down her arm. Combined with the warmth of the taxi's cabin, the movement nearly put her into an afternoon fatigue.

"Will you tell me about them?" Hina ventured quietly, ear pressed against his to listen to his beating heart. Hina realized there was still so much that she didn't know about the 1-A homeroom teacher, but it only made her eager to find out all that made him who he was.

This man that she loved so much, was still such a mystery even after months spent getting closer. The redhead had a feeling that one day, when she knew him better than she knew herself, he still wouldn't fail to surprise her.

She felt his chest rise and fall with his sigh. He pressed his mouth to the top of her head, making her smile. That little buzz of happiness would never get old.

"Some other time. There's been enough family drama for one day, I think."

* * *

A/N- Wow. We're here. We're actually at the end! It's been a journey, and I've been so thrilled to write for this pairing! I wanted to thank you all who have sent me your supportive and critiquing reviews that have helped encourage me to finish the story! I do so hope you give me a follow to stay in the loop for my future projects. You're all the loveliest people ever. Let me know in a review what you thought of the story as a whole, as well as some things that could have used improvement! I am always looking for valuable critique!

**musiome-** :D

**poprockie-** Oh, I've already put that request on the list. I believe it'll be one of the very first ones, actually. Lol. ;)

**Dippy Egg-** You were totally justified in asking for a sitcom. I want to see them in a 9-hour feature length film but sadly, *sigh*, it will never be. Oh well. I can dream about them and all that. Endings are definitely hard! I don't want to let them go, but all stories must end.

**Otakugirl1996-** Those are both definitely on the list!

**BlackBirdInTheNight-** Thank you! I hoped the smut would be satisfactory. :) That's really awesome to hear! I will definitely do the one-shots!

**AnimeFan4Eternity-** I've thought about her going that route with her quirk, but haven't really delved into the idea fully. Maybe in the one-shot compilation? Who knows? Pretty sure most of those are already on the list, so you should be good, lol. :)


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